


Makeshift Family

by BlackJack, liveitup



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Gen, Hulkeye - Freeform, M/M, Nightmares, Recovery, Spideypool - Freeform, Stony - Freeform, Superfamily
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-14
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-08 13:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 100,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/761587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackJack/pseuds/BlackJack, https://archiveofourown.org/users/liveitup/pseuds/liveitup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Tony are living an idyllic life. They have an amazing son, a wonderful family, and they're ridiculously in love with each other. However, when they discover that Peter's friend Wade hadn't moved away as they had thought, and had been living undetected in their home, that throws a bit of a wrench into things. Peter, of course, is happy to have him back, but they quickly discovered that he wasn't quite the same boy that he was last time he was seen.  Wade has changed drastically, going from a happy, snarky teenager to a subdued, quiet, near-shell of a person. Steve, Tony, and Peter all try to help, but will it work?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter in particular is all in text message format, but it's the only chapter that will be this way.

So.. should we discuss how your son just ran down the hallway buck-ass naked? - CB

Depends.. Did he run from his room or to his room? -TS

To. - CB

Well, that's a little worrying. -TS

Are you going to check it out? -TS

And by check it out, I mean the situation, not my son. -TS

I'm not too worried about it. Most kids his age do that sort of thing. - CB

Ew, why would I check out your son? - CB

That's six kinds of gross. - CB

Not to mention creepy. - CB

You're creepy. Are you saying you don't think my son's good looking? -TS

I'm saying he's young, and to check him out would be weird. - CB

That's why I told you not to. -TS

So, what's the situation now? -TS

You're odd. He's in his room and I'm kind of not sure if I want to figure out what he's doing. - CB

What I'm interested in is where the hell did he come from naked?? -TS

Do I have to ask? Can't you just text him or something? - CB

Hey kid, what's up with you flashing people in the hallway? -TS

Uhh.. I don't flash people in hallways. - PP

I would hope so. -TS

And what about 10 mins ago? -TS

I didn't do anything ten minutes ago. - PP

Look kid, I have access to all the cameras in this place. Are you going to spill or do you want me to check for myself? -TS

Please don't check! - PP

Shit. Er. Just don't. - PP

Nothing of importance on the tapes. - PP

If you say so. -TS

Maybe I should ask Clint for his input? -TS

That asshole.. it's his fault, you know. - PP

Now we're getting somewhere. What is? -TS

He took my clothes while I was showering! - PP

Did he now. You can go back to.. whatever you're doing, thanks. -TS

So I'm not in trouble? - PP

Well, are you lying to me? -TS

Nope. - PP

Then you're not in trouble. -TS

Alrighty then. - PP

Barton, you got something to confess? -TS

No, why? - CB

I hate to use this threat all the time, but I feel like I should remind you who has access to all the cameras in this place? -TS

You and Phil do, it's common knowledge. What's with the suspicion, Stark? I didn't do anything. - CB

He said you stole his clothes. -TS

I did no such thing! You can check the footage, I haven't left the living room in the past hour or so. There's a marathon of Ace of Cakes on, d'you think I'd miss that? - CB

Pretty convincing argument, I'll give you that. -TS

Peter. -TS

Yep? - PP

Want to rephrase anything you said earlier? -TS

Uh.. no.. why? - PP

Clint says he didn't do it. Do I really have to watch the damn tapes? -TS

Of course he did, who else would have? No one else is here! - PP

Sorry for the intrusion of your privacy, but I'm going to take a look at the footage now. This is ridiculous. -TS

Go ahead, you'll see that I'm right. - PP

.. -TS

I thought you said you and Wilson didn't hang out anymore. -TS

We don't.. he moved, I haven't seen him in weeks. - PP

What the hell, it was _Wade_?! - PP

Check the supply closet in the hall. -TS

Holy shit. There's a bed in there? -TS

Last I checked there wasn't. - PP

Holy hell. - PP

Well.. surprise, Dad. You've got a Wade in your closet. - PP

How did we miss this? - PP

Your dad's going to flip. -TS

Dad is so going to flip. - PP

Are you going to tell him or should I? -TS

I think you'd better. For once, it's actually not my fault. - PP

Steve, honey, how's your day? -TS

Fine, thank you. :) How has yours been? - SR

Rather.. informative. Are you sitting down? -TS

Yes.. why? - SR

Last time you asked me that, you told me Peter had painted the couch. - SR

Well, this time it's not really Peter's fault. -TS

We've been having a secret subtenant recently. Kind of. -TS

Um.. what? - SR

There's been someone living in the supply closet in Peter's hall. -TS

Want to take a guess? -TS

I don't know if I want to.. - SR

It starts with W and ends with ilson. -TS

Need any more hints? -TS

Why the hell has Wilson been living in our home? - SR

I don't know, I just found out myself! Apparently he's been stealing Peter's clothes when he's in the shower. -TS

That boy is odd. - SR

Try creepy and borderline harassing our teenage son? -TS

Yeah, we could go with that. We're kicking him out, right? - SR

Hell yeah we're kicking him out! I just want to know who the hell let him inside. -TS

Have you looked at the footage? - SR

I've been looking through it, yeah, but who knows when he moved in, could've been weeks ago. -TS

Didn't Peter say he moved about two months ago? - SR

How have we not noticed him, anyway? One of us goes in that closet at least every couple days. - SR

.. I personally have never entered that thing. But there's a bed and everything now. -TS

Well of course you wouldn't, you don't clean. But that's not the point. - SR

We have people for cleaning, honey.. -TS

They haven't been here in ages. I usually do it because it's cathartic. - SR

What? You seriously don't have to clean, Steve. -TS

I know, but it helps me calm down after long days. - SR

_I_ can help you calm down after long days. -TS

You do as well, but sometimes I don't want to be angry at you for how a mission went if it wasn't your fault; I'd rather be angry at a spot on the floor. - SR

I like it when you're a little angry in bed, but okay, I get it, you'd rather aggressively clean the house. -TS

Angry sex is fun, don't get me wrong. I just don't want to take my irrational anger out on you. - SR

You can take anything you want out on me, sweetie, that's why we're married. -TS

But this is totally beside the point right now! What are we doing about Wilson? -TS

Uh.. I don't know. Have you talked to him, asked him why the hell he did it? - SR

Haven't had the chance. I think Peter's talking to him. -TS

Peter, any updates on the Wade-situation? -TS

He ran as soon as he saw me. He's now reduced himself to childhood, and is hiding from me. Still working on finding him. - PP

Goddamnit. Jarvis suggests to check the guest bathroom by the gym. -TS

Nope, not there. - PP

Update: He ran away and has now disappeared somewhere in the house, Steve. -TS

... - SR

Lovely. - SR

I'm guessing that's how he lived in our house without anyone noticing. He probably navigates through the air vents or something. -TS

Air vents. I just got an idea. I'll keep you posted. -TS

Clint, how about helping me out a little. Wade Wilson has been secretly living in our house and is now hiding. Any ideas? -TS

Vents. - CB

Boobytrap them. - CB

... I'm not putting explosives in my air vents, Barton. -TS

Not like that, you dolt. Just something to impede him a bit. - CB

Why don't you do it. I'm not climbing in there. -TS

How lethal can I be? - CB

Avoid property damage. Damage Wilson however you want. -TS

Alright, give me like.. 15 minutes. - CB

Peter, Clint's going to catch him in the air vents. You can stop looking, if you want. -TS

Alright.. just.. don't hurt him? - PP

You know Clint. It'll hurt a little. -TS

Just don't maim him. - PP

Tell that to him, not me. And he's been secretly living down the hall from you, aren't you a little creeped out? -TS

He wouldn't have done it without reason, y'know. - PP

Last I knew he was having trouble making rent. - PP

Well, he could've _asked_ , for example. It's not like we're pinched for money. -TS

You know he wouldn't do that. - PP

Maybe not me, but you two were close right? He could've asked you. -TS

We were, but even then he wouldn't do that. - PP

I don't know why the hell he thought it would be a better idea to be a stowaway in our house, but apparently, that was less damaging to his pride than asking for help. - PP

Don't make me feel bad for him, the asshole broke into my house. I'm having a serious talk with Jarvis about security breaches right now. -TS

You made him an authorized user when he kept coming over after midnight and waking everyone up with the alarms. - PP

Did I? You're right, I dimly remember something like that. Steve can't sleep when he knows you're in your room with _Wade_. -TS

You're forgetting that this was advantageous for you. When he can't sleep, you distract him with sex. - PP

I don't know why I'm telling you this, but when we have sex when you have a _visitor_ , he's always a little distracted and I don't like to share his attention. -TS

... I don't know why you're telling me that either. Way, way too much information. - PP

You brought it up, kid. -TS

You two are already blatantly sexual, I really don't need to know more. - PP

You can't blame me for that. Have you seen your father? -TS

Nope. Last I knew he was at the Shield HQ with Coulson, doing some paperwork. - PP

No, I meant, have you _seen_ your father? Waay to tempting to resist. -TS

Oh. Well, still, uh, that's my father, so I don't exactly check him out on a regular basis. Or ever. - PP

Back to topic. Do you know if Clint has Wilson by now? -TS

I hear muffled groaning coming from the vents, so I'm going to go with yes. - PP

Perfect. Can I trust you with the interrogation once Clint retrieves him from the vents? -TS

Make Dad interrogate him, he's much better at being scary like that. - PP

He's not home though. -TS

He should be soon, he told me he'd be home around six. - PP

Honey, we have Wilson. What are your thoughts on interrogation? -TS

I want to do it, can you hold him until I get home? - SR

Anything for you. -TS

Clint, do you have him? How badly injured is he? -TS

Only some superficial cuts and scrapes. He'll be fine, and he's tied to the weights rack in the gym. - CB

Can you hold him until Steve gets home? He has some things he wants to ask him. -TS

Why do I feel like that means he wants to beat the shit out of the kid? - CB

Do you think Steve would do that? -TS

I don't think he's malicious, if that's what you're asking. I do, however, think he cares about his family and would go to any lengths to protect them. - CB

Is Peter there? I don't think he'd hit him in front of his kid. -TS

Yeah, Pete's here. - CB

Stay with Wade if you don't want Steve to beat him up, Peter. I don't think he will, but Clint's been planting some rather worrying ideas in me. -TS

Dad wouldn't do that.. would he? - PP

I.. probably not? No. I don't think so. Go hit Clint for me, he's messing with my head. -TS

I tried, he threw Cheetos at me. - PP

Don't throw Cheetos at my kid, Barton. And pick them up from the floor. I just found out today Steve's been doing all the cleaning around here.-TS

He tried to hit me! And they didn't fall, he caught them and ate them. Why has Steve been doing all the cleaning? - CB

Dunno, he says it helps him calm down or something. How did I not know that? I was convinced we had a cleaning lady. -TS

You don't tend to pay attention to things that don't concern you or engage you. - CB

Steve has been secretly cleaning, Wade has been secretly living here, what else is going on in this house that I don't know about? -TS

Nat does naked yoga on the balcony at night. - CB

.. No way. -TS

Stark-naked? -TS

How do you know? Does she know that you know? -TS

I know because I just do, and she knows I know, and if you try to catch her doing it, I promise I'll dismember you creatively. - CB

Tch. I can get Steve to do naked yoga for me anytime. I'm just worried Fury might have a satellite on this building 24/7. -TS

Fury knows better than that. - CB

Yeah, anyways, did Steve come home yet? I really want to go for this naked yoga thing. -TS

He's downstairs talking to Wade. - CB

Honey, sweetie, you're not beating the kid, are you? -TS

No, I'm just talking to him.. Why would I be beating him? - SR

No reason! Just checking. What's he got to say for himself? -TS

He's not saying much, but I get the feeling something really, really horrid happened to this kid. - SR

Peter told me he had trouble making the rent recently. -TS

Goddamnit, Steve, what did you do to me? You've ruined me. I have this.. conscience suddenly. -TS

I think it's more than that. He's flinching whenever I get near him, and he's really.. almost shy, I guess. He doesn't seem like the Wade we knew. - SR

It's called being a human, Tony. - SR

I trust your judgment. Do you think it would help if we let Peter talk to him? He might open up to him. -TS

I don't know if talking with Peter will work. He seems closed-off and keeps being evasive. - SR

Well what are we going to do then? We've got to help _somehow_. We're not actually kicking him out, right? -TS

I don't think we should, no.. it's not like we don't have the room. - SR

Okay, I bet he knows his way around the house by now, just let him choose a bedroom, there are plenty left. -ST

Peter, if he wants, your friend is moving in for a while. Alright? -TS

You mean.. you won't kick him out? - PP

Thank you, really.. I'm worried about him. - PP

No, we're not kicking him out. You go and be a good, supportive friend, okay buddy? -TS

Yeah, I will.. Will you help me figure out what happened? - PP

I'll do what I can. But you've got to give me something to start with. See that he talks to you, okay? -TS

I can try, but I don't know how well it will work. He wasn't very open with me before, I don't know that I'll get anywhere. - PP

Well do you have any suggestions what else we might be able to do? We can't help him if we don't know what needs fixing. -TS

Maybe Coulson could talk to him? He always seems to be able to get people to spill things they never meant to say. - PP

I'll talk to him about it. Has he chosen a bedroom? Why don't you set him up in your hallway somewhere? Kick Clint out if need be. -TS

He picked the one next to mine. - PP

Okay, that's good.. I guess? Must be rather unsettling for Steve though. -TS

How come? - PP

You know he always feels concerned for your virtue when Wade's around. -TS

Are you doing okay, Steve? -TS

Wade's not gonna do anything. I'm not even sure he'd go so far as to kiss me right now, let alone more. - PP

I'm fine, I guess. - SR

Don't let it trouble you too much, if it's something we can fix, we'll do it, if not, it's out of our hands. Peter suggested calling Coulson to talk to Wade. -TS

That may work. He's surprisingly easy to talk to. - SR

Anyway.. where are you? - SR

R&D department, I have to show up there with new tech every once in a while, but I'm about to leave, so I'll be home soon. I'll text Coulson on my way home. -TS

Alright. Should I start dinner? - SR

Another reason why I love you. Yes please. -TS

As if you needed more. Any requests? - SR

I feel like pasta, if you don't mind? -TS

Nah, that sounds good. I know Clint's here, do you know about Natasha or Bruce? - SR

No clue, sorry. Clint might know about Natasha? He shared some interesting secrets with me today. Did you know she does naked yoga on the balcony at night? -TS

Yes, I did. I take it you didn't? - SR

I'm starting to think I'm the least informed person in this household. You'd tell me if I was missing something important though, right? -TS

Of course I would. - SR

By the way, Peter's pregnant and keeping the baby. - SR

Aha ha ha ha. Hilarious. Peter would never get pregnant, if only because he never wants to hear the safe-sex-talk again. -TS

... and also because he's male. - SR

... and also because of that. I knew that, obviously. -TS

Uh-huh. - SR

I did! I'm a genius, you know. -TS

Yep. Just hurry home, you. Dinner will be ready when you get here. - SR

Hey, Clint, do you know where Nat and Bruce are? - SR

I saw Bruce go into his lab sometime this afternoon, so he should still be in there. Nat's at SHIELD, but she said she wanted to be home for dinner. -CB

Is the Wade-thing sorted out? -CB

Alright, I'll text her and let her know. Wade will be staying with us, in the room next to Peter's.. can you keep an eye on him? We're sort of worried about him. - SR

Okay? Didn't expect that, to be honest. But I'll keep an eye on him, no problem. -CB

Alright. Can you go get Bruce for me? Dinner will be ready soon. - SR

Hey, Nat? Just wanted to let you know that dinner will be ready soon. - SR

What are we having? I'll head home right now. -NR

We're going to have spaghetti and garlic bread. - SR

Sounds delicious, thank you, Steve. -NR

Alright, see you when you get here. - SR


	2. Chapter 2

Honey, I'm home. Well, technically I'm in the garage. Where are you? -TS

Kitchen. Get Peter and Wade on your way up, would you? - SR

Okay, will do. –TS

Steve set his phone down on the counter, and set to making enough pasta for the group. Once he had the water on the stove and heating up, he got the French bread out and started making the garlic bread while he waited for everyone to show up.

"Boys, dinner!" Tony yelled, stepping into the hallway that Peter's, Clint's and now also Wade's bedrooms opened to. Barton's door opened and Tony greeted him with a wave. "Dinner," he repeated and Clint nodded and walked past Tony. "I know, I'm just getting Bruce." Tony finally reached Peter's bedroom door and knocked. "Peter, your dad has dinner ready, come on."

"We'll be out in a sec," he said from Wade's new room, where they were getting him situated. When they got to the kitchen a few minutes later, Steve was draining the pasta and talking to Tony, and Jarvis had just announced that Natasha was back. Clint had managed to pull Bruce out of his science stupor, and the two were talking animatedly about Doctor Who. Peter went over to start setting the table, and had Wade deal with the plates and cups while he handled the silverware.

"I reached Coulson on my way back, so he says he won't be able to make it today, he's a busy man and I should stop bothering him with my shit, basically, but he also said yes, he'd be glad to help and he'll come over here tomorrow," Tony told Steve, hip leaning against the counter next to the sink, an eye on Peter and Wade moving around the table. He pulled out a spoon and dipped it into the sauce. "I am literally starving right now, and this smells heavenly, honey."

Steve smacked Tony's hand playfully, taking the spoon. "Hey. You can wait, mister. Did he say what time, by chance?" he asked, pulling the bread out of the oven next.

Tony whined and pulled his hand to his chest. "He didn't tell me the time exactly, but he said early," he summarized, "So I asked 'Early by your standards or my standards' and he said something rude about my sleeping habits, so I'm guessing no later than nine. Are you going to be home tomorrow morning?"

"Yep, I'll be here, and I can get the boys up as well. What are your plans for tomorrow?" He put the pasta in a bowl and poured the sauce on top, then took it over to the table. "Grab the bread, would you?" Everyone else had taken a seat, leaving the two spots at the head of the table for Tony and Steve.

"Don't have any," Tony replied while picking up the bread. "I figured I'd get some work done in the lab, but I can do that whenever. I'd hate to miss Coulson nagging at me." He took a seat next to Steve and set the garlic bread down on the table after helping himself to a piece.

"Yes, we all know how much you love it," he teased, taking some spaghetti and passing it to Peter on his left, who did the same and passed it to Wade, and so forth. The garlic bread made the rounds next. Once everyone had their food, Steve looked over to their guest. "So, Wade, we usually go around the table and tell each other something good about our day. Peter can start, so you can see how it goes. Peter?" Peter finished the bite he'd taken and cleared his throat. "Today, I got Wade back, and I never thought I'd see him again," he said, looking to Wade with a small smile.

Tony raised an eyebrow and glanced at Steve with a thoughtful expression. For both Wade's and Peter's sake he hoped that, whatever was wrong with Wade, it wouldn't bring them any trouble. As attached as his son seemed to be, he didn't want him to put himself in danger trying to help. Bruce, sitting on the other side of Peter, cleared his throat. "I was able to come up with an improved formula for carbon-based protective wear." Tony turned to him, interested. "The flame-retardant one? Way to go."

Clint spoke up next after thinking for a moment. "I finally found that shirt of mine that I thought I'd lost. Not too exciting, but it's all soft 'n broken in." He shrugged, looking to Natasha on his left. "I finished the book I was reading; great plot twist at the end. Tony?"

Tony dipped his head in acknowledgment. "The dimwits at R&D usually make me feel embarrassed for hiring them, but they actually managed to do some decent work today." Tony smiled. He normally dreaded talking his inventions through with the SI personnel, but today had been a rather pleasant meeting. "I feel so proud, it's like they've finally learned how to go to the bathroom alone. Plus, Steve made me pasta."

Steve grinned, shaking his head. "C'mon, Tones, my pasta's not that good. It's just pasta." He thought for a moment as well, trying to pick something. "Hmm.. Well, I found a record I'd been looking for for a while. Coulson helped me out, actually. Who'd have thought Coulson liked big band music?"

Clint chuckled and Tony gave Steve a look. "Big band music," he repeated dryly and shook his head slowly. "Clearly, I'm not influencing your taste in music nearly as much as I had hoped." He reached over the table for another piece of bread and took a bite. While chewing, he turned to Wade. "Wilson, you're up."

Wade thought for a moment, shrugging. "I dunno," he said quietly, subdued. "You two said I could stay, which is more than I could've hoped for."

Tony stopped chewing for a moment and looked at Wade. It had been the first time he had heard him talk today, and he feared Steve was right. That wasn't at all the Wade they knew from a few months ago. Even the rest of the table had grown quiet for a moment. Tony cleared his throat, before grinning lightly. "That was barely acceptably positive, but you'll learn. I wasn't very good at it first either."

Wade gave him a small, hopefully convincing grin, and looked back down to his pasta. Peter, hoping to assuage the mood that had settled over the table, asked Bruce about his work. "So, Bruce, what were you saying about carbon-based protective wear?"

"Oh," Bruce perked up, happy to talk about his work. He swallowed a bite of pasta. "It's quite amazing really, I've been working on it for a while. You see, the fabric was flame-repellent before, but only to a certain point, which made me thing, what's in there that can even burn, and what could it be replaced with. I figured out how to put more carbon into the molecules, and JARVIS just ran the numbers today, it works! You should come to my lab sometime, Peter, I'll show you." He glanced at Wade. "Are you also interested in biochemistry? You could come along."

"Hm?" Wade looked up, making sure Bruce was actually talking to him. "Oh, uh.. yeah, I am, actually. It all sounds really interesting," he said sincerely.

"Guys, stop, seriously, he'll grow an ego like Stark if you keep going like this," Clint laughed and threw a piece of bread over the table when Bruce glared at him. Tony just shrugged. "You're just jealous." He was busy both trying to eat as much food as possible and inconspicuously sneaking in some touches with Steve without disturbing him while he was eating. 

Steve sent him a look, not scolding but playful. "Stop that, Tony. Clint, Bruce has every reason to be proud of his work, and you shouldn't tell him otherwise; it sets a bad example for Peter and Wade."

"Stop what," Tony asked innocently, hand sliding up Steve's thigh. Bruce inclined his head in thanks. "Thank you, Steve." Clint rolled his eyes, which earned him an elbow in the ribs from Natasha. She continued eating nonchalantly while Clint coughed and held his side. "So, Wade, I hear you and Peter are quite good friends. How exactly did you two meet?" she asked pleasantly.

"You know what, and I've told you a million times not to do it at the table," he murmured, then looked to Wade. "We met at school," he said quietly. "I was having trouble understanding something we were learning in physics. He helped me out, and we've sort of stuck together ever since."

Tony pouted and pulled his hand back. Steve had in fact told him to keep his hands to himself during dinner for about a million times, but he was a touchy guy and he had a very attractive husband, damnit. "Fine," he replied, also for the millionth time and tried to turn his attention back to the conversation instead. "Do you kids have school tomorrow?" he asked, never the type to keep up with dates. "Because Phil is coming over in the morning and I'd like you both to be there."

"No, we have tomorrow off. What's Uncle Agent coming over for?" Peter asked, tearing off a bite of bread.

"You know, family reunion," Tony said and raised his eyebrows at Peter, since he had been the one to suggest having Wade talk to Phil. He didn't know how Wade would react to that kind of information though, skittish as he seemed, but the boy was no idiot either. "Now that Wade is living here, he needs to be officially debriefed about safety protocols and sign some non-disclosure agreements about Avengers business. Like you had to when you were old enough," Tony said, and now that he thought about it, that would have to actually happen anyway, so it sounded plausible.

"Oh, yeah, that. Gotcha." Steve nodded in agreement, then looked to Clint, speaking so that done of the clearly unwanted attention would be taken off of Wade. "Y'know.. I think I know why you pester Bruce so much," he said with a teasing smirk.

Bruce looked up from his pasta curiously and Clint leaned back in his chair with a challenging grin. "And why is that?" he asked. Tony snickered.

"I think _Clint_ here has a crush on Bruce," he said, his tone just as challenging as Clint's grin.

Clint's cocky grin derailed and he sputtered. "What! Why would you even- Just what! You know what, I'm not dignifying that with an answer," he said, but his eyes kept darting over to Bruce, who was stifling a grin in his hand. Natasha next to him smirked. "Has there been a secret romance going on, along with all the other stuff I haven't noticed recently?" Tony asked teasingly.

"I dunno.. By the look on Clint's face, it's not all that secret. To us, anyway. I'm not sure Clint had realized yet," he said, grinning good-naturedly.

"He'll come around," Bruce said with a crooked smile and Clint quickly busied himself with his dinner, a flush spreading over his cheeks. "Mercy," Tony grinned. "Have mercy with the guy, honey."

"Oh come on, he knows we're just teasing. Right, Clint?" he asked, suddenly worried he'd done something wrong.

"Whatever," Clint mumbled around his fork, and swallowed some rather rude insults at the warning look Tony was giving him. "It's fine, Steve. Just do me a favor and change the subject, I didn't say anything about Tony feeling you up under the table either."

"And thank you for that. So.. Tony, why don't you tell us what you're working on?" he said, hoping to avoid an awkward silence.

Peter pulled a face. His parents, seriously. "The usual, world domination and stuff," Tony joked and took a bite of his pasta. "But seriously, I just handed in a new StarkPhone and a resource-friendlier decoding algorithm today, so I'm going to start working on something fun tomorrow. I might give Butterfinger an upgrade, he's been glitching recently. Or build a plane, I'm not sure yet. Maybe both."

Steve grimaced. "Tony, please don't start another project that's too big for the space you're building it in."

Tony waved a dismissive hand at him. "It's okay, I've been thinking about expanding my lab anyways." At Steve's grimace, he sighed. "Or I could just build something smaller, like a new uniform for you, if you want. Bruce could give me a hand, with his new fabric. What do you think, buddy?"

"My uniform is fine," he argued, but his protests fell on deaf ears as Bruce started talking science with Tony. "Yeah, we could meld the Kevlar and the FR. It would make a material impervious to, well, anything," the physicist said animatedly.

"I could think of a few things to add to your uniform, honey, or rather, remove from it," Tony grinned with a wink and reached over the table to high-five Bruce. "And there you have my plans for tomorrow. Steve, you'll let JARVIS scan you for 3D-modelling, won't you?"

"Keep it PG at the table, Tony, and I promise, I really don't need a new one." But it would seem as though his words had no effect, because Tony was already sketching away on a napkin. "Fine, I guess Jarvis can scan me," he said, defeated.

"Thank you, sweetie," Tony said and presented his lips for a kiss, to make sure Steve wasn't actually mad at him. "If we make good progress on Steve's uniform, we could upgrade yours too, if you're interested," Bruce addressed Natasha.

Steve gave him a sweet, chaste kiss, not really mad so much as wondering when he'd lost control of his life. "I wouldn't mind that," Natasha replied cautiously, "as long as there is no design input from Tony," she finished, giving him a warning look.

Tony hummed contently and merely rolled his eyes at her. "I'll make sure of that," Bruce promised with a chuckle, before turning to Clint. "What about you? How would you feel about a new uniform?"

"I dunno.. Kinda attached to my uniform. How would you change it?"

Bruce looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, anything beyond an improvement of the fabric would be up to you, basically. If you want something changed, I'm sure it could be done, but if you don't, it'd look mostly the same afterwards. Do have some faith in Tony though, he knows what he's doing, even if it doesn't always look like it." Tony sent an offended look to Steve.

"I wasn't sayin' he didn't," he said with a shrug. "I guess I wouldn't mind an upgrade, but I can't think of anything I'd like changed."

"Alright, if you come up with something later, just come by the lab and we'll see if it can be done," Bruce suggested, before finishing the last of his pasta.

"Okay, sounds good," he said, twirling his fork around one last stubborn piece of spaghetti. "Now that you mention it, though, I have been having some issues with my quiver strap."

"I'll take a look at it," Tony promised, then turned to Steve, because finding out that Steve cleaned had raised his awareness for the subject. "Who in this house takes care of the dishes usually?"

"I do," Steve said, looking up. "Why?"

Tony thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "I'll help," he declared. "There is no reason you should clean this place all by yourself."

"You really don't have to," he said with an amused grin. "I don't mind. You know me; if it bugged me, I wouldn't be quiet about it. Besides, it shouldn't just be you. We're all capable of cleaning." Peter piped up next, saying "I can help."

Tony made a somewhat unhappy face. "I know, but I don't like it when you work alone." He gave Peter a thumbs-up. "Good kid," he commented, proud of his son, and reached for Steve's hand. "I can help too, no problem," Bruce said, and Natasha nodded in agreement.

Steve squeezed Tony's hand gently, giving him a grateful smile. "Me too," said Clint, and Wade followed, saying "I don't mind helping either," quietly.

"And there you go, Steve keeps making us better people," Tony smiled. Who would've thought that he, Tony Stark, would one day have a home-cooked dinner with his family and friends, telling each other about their day and helping with the dishes afterwards. It was awfully domestic - and Tony loved it.

"Come on, Tony, you're all amazing people. Doing the dishes is no big deal," he said. Clint argued, saying "That's not true, being around you is like osmosis for good values."

Tony looked around the table to see if anyone was still eating or if everyone had finished. There was still two pieces of garlic bread left though. "Who wants some more bread?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm good," Peter said, and similar statements followed.

"Steve?" Tony asked, while taking one piece of bread for himself and holding out the other to him.

"Yeah, sure," he said with a shrug, taking the bread from Tony and ripping a piece off.

Bruce, done with his food, started stacking tables. "Maybe instead of doing it all alone, Steve should just sit back today and let us do all the work," he suggested and Tony nodded enthusiastically.

"I'd feel bad if I didn't do anything," he said, but even as he said it, Peter and Wade were gathering silverware and cups, and Clint was taking care of the serving platters that the spaghetti and bread had been on.

"No, no, you just sit here and look pretty, sweetie," Tony grinned and kissed Steve's cheek while he got up from the table. "Now what do I do?" Tony asked and opened his arms. As far as he could remember, he had never cleaned up a kitchen before.

"I look pretty all the time, Tones," he snarked, smirking. "You could wipe the table down, I s'pose."

"I know you do," Tony smiled and made his way over to the sink to find a rag. Bruce, helpful as always, handed him one and Tony started wiping down the empty table. When he was done, he gave Steve a proud grin, before throwing the rag back into the sink, annoying Peter, who was washing the dishes that wouldn't go into the dishwasher.

"Daaad!" Peter groaned, wiping off the suds that had splashed onto him. Steve looked around at his little makeshift family,  giving Tony a matching smile and wondering where he'd gone right to deserve a life like this.

The kitchen clean, Natasha excused herself, and Bruce went back to his lab, while Peter was finishing the dishes and Wade stood next to him with a towel to dry them. "Set an alarm for tomorrow, kids, Coulson will be here early. And sleep in your own beds," Tony said and gave Peter a warning look.

"Come on, do you really think we would do anything? No. We will be sure to set an alarm, though," he said, handing the last dish to Wade and rinsing out the sink. Wade dried it, and laid the towel on the sink to dry. "Night Dad, Pops," Peter said, and Wade muttered similar sentiments as they walked to their rooms, with Clint following shortly afterward.

Tony rolled his eyes, bid the kids goodnight and pulled out his phone for a second. I don't know about you two doing anything and don't want to, I just want your dad to sleep well tonight. -TS

Well, I'm never quite positive with you sometimes, but just fyi, even if we were going to do anything, we wouldn't be doing it here. It would be weird. Besides, I don't think Wade's in a condition to do much of anything. It would feel wrong.. so.. yeah, no. - PP

"Okay, sleep well, kid. -TS" Tony texted Peter, before pocketing his phone. "And you?" he asked Steve. "Any more plans tonight?"

"Nothin' in particular," he replied with a shrug and a grin. "Thought I'd spend some time with my wonderful husband, depending on what his plans for the rest of the night were."

Tony sat down on the table next to where Steve was sitting and bent down to kiss him. "You're his plans for the night," he said against his lips and smiled. "Anything in particular you feel like doing?"

Steve smiled, kissing him back sweetly. "Not really. I just miss you, that's all. Seems like you're always gone for SI stuff. Not that that's a bad thing; I understand that you have to do it, I just.. get a little.. I dunno.. jealous, I guess, of whoever else it is that gets your time when it's not me."

"Oh honey," Tony said and wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders and looked into his eyes. "I miss you too when we're not together." He kissed him again. "Want to be an embarrassing old married couple and cuddle on the couch before we go to bed?"

Steve chuckled, nodding. "I don’t think we're old quite yet, though. Pete's not in college yet, we can still be young."

"Speak for yourself, you perfectly chiseled Adonis," Tony grinned and leaned back, sliding off the table. He held out a hand for Steve. "Let's go?"

Steve blushed, ducking his head as he always did when Tony was like that. He took the other man's hand, following him to the media room. "I love you, y'know."

"You better," Tony replied with soft eyes, smiling. 


	3. Chapter 3

Tony flopped down onto the couch and tried to pull Steve down with him. "I hope you're ready to be groped, I haven't seen you all day."

Steve grunted, laughing as he attempted to avoid Tony as he fell. "That depends, what do you mean by groping? Because you sure got a fair amount of groping at dinner," he said, in a playfully admonishing tone.

"I only got a _little_. Not nearly enough for my required daily fix of you, honey." Tony grabbed Steve's wrist and pulled him towards him, bringing them nose to nose, and laying a gentle hand on the back of Steve's neck. "I love you too," he whispered.

He nudged Tony's nose in an eskimo kiss, and thumbed over the side of his cheek with a fond smile. "Fine, sweets, grope away," he said, feigning indifference.

"Ah, where to start..." Tony grinned and lowered his back onto the couch, tugging Steve with him with the hand on his neck. "Can you- yeah- there you go." He moved the hand up from Steve's neck into his hair, rubbing gently and put the other on one broad shoulder. "Okay? Is this comfortable?"

"Perfect," he replied with a contented sigh, closing his eyes and resting his head on Tony's shoulder.

"What have you done to me, Steve," Tony muttered into the blonde hair tickling his chin. "I'd be perfectly happy to just lay here forever with you, doing nothing. Drinks? Not interested. Blueprints? Ridiculous. Sex? Naah. No, wait. Sex does tempt me a little." He chuckled softly and ran his hand over Steve's head.

Steve chuckled, giving him a kiss on the neck. "I don't know. I do like the fact that I'm more important than blueprints or drinks, though."

"That was just the stuff on the top of my mind. I could keep going forever," Tony smiled. "Hey, Steve," he began after a thoughtful pause.

"Hm?" He turned slightly, to get a better look at Tony.

"When Peter's school year’s over, let's take a break, okay? Let's take Peter and go to a beach house, just the three of us, or maybe Wade too, no SI, no SHIELD business. The kids can surf and do... whatever they do these days, and we can spend some more time together," Tony suggested and cocked his head to the side in question.

Steve smiled, nodding. "That sounds really, really nice. Since when are you so thoughtful and sweet?" he teased, nudging Tony's jaw.

Tony leaned in to kiss him. "We've both had a lot of work lately. I get all these annoying _feelings_ when I don't see you in a while," he admitted and wrinkled his nose, before adding jokingly. "And I really really want to see you in swim shorts."

"You can see me in swim shorts -or less- whenever you want," he pointed out. "I get those feelings you're talking about too, though. They're troublesome."

"You know I always find you devastatingly handsome, no matter what you're wearing or not wearing, but there's just something particularly charming about swim shorts, don't ask me why," Tony explained, before moving the hand on Steve's shoulder down to his waist. "Are you feeling sufficiently groped already?"

"I dunno," he said with a shrug and a smirk. "I definitely wouldn't say no to more. And I'm not the only one that looks handsome in swim trunks. You're the one that looks like a dream when you walk out of the water, with your skin glistening like that.. it's practically unfair."

Tony made a noise high in his throat and closed his eyes. "Steve," he whined. "What's unfair is when you say stuff like that." He removed the hand from Steve's hair and slid it down to the small of Steve's back, nearly touching the curve of his ass.

"I can say plenty of things like that," he said, giving him a salacious grin. "Like how you look when you're just coming off of a science bender; ridiculously gorgeous, and intelligent, and covered in grease and dirt and deliciously rugged." He sighed softly, thinking about it.

Tony pushed his face into the soft cushions of the couch, hiding his rising blush. "You must be talking about yourself," he muttered. "When you come back from the gym, all sweaty and flushed, and breathing a little harder. It drives me crazy."

"You in a suit drives me nuts. All strong, and powerful, ready to kick ass and take names." He chuckled, kissing Tony's cheek.

Tony smiled bashfully and turned his head out of the couch. "Gimme a proper kiss, handsome," he whispered.

"Gladly," he replied, planting a sweet kiss on his lips.

Tony moved a hand to cup the back of Steve's head and hold him in place. He pressed another kiss to his lips, then the tip of his nose, and above his eyebrow. "You're so amazing, I don't know what I did right to deserve you."

"Just being you, for the most part. You sell yourself short a lot, but you're really quite wonderful. To me, anyway, and I'd like to think my opinion's the only one that matters," he teased, smiling and leaning his head on Tony's shoulder.

"It is," Tony confirmed and started stroking Steve's hair again. He felt relaxed and completely safe. After a moment of silence he said quietly, "I could fall asleep like this."

"So could I, but you'd feel like hell in the morning. We should move this to our room." He didn't really want to move; he was content to just lie there with Tony, but he knew they'd regret it if they fell asleep on the couch.

Tony sighed heavily. "You're right. I know you're right, I just need to convince my body to move." He buried his nose in Steve's hair and breathed in deeply. "Have I told you that I like it when you say 'our room'? It's sexy."

Steve chuckled, nuzzling Tony's neck. "Why is that sexy? I've been saying it for about six years now."

"Hasn't gotten any less sexy since the first time you said it," Tony told him and laughed softly. "Just like when I get to introduce you as my husband. Still completely knocks my socks off."

"I'm just glad you're so happy to be with me. When we first got together, I was convinced you'd get bored of me and find someone better," he said in a small voice.

"You have got to be kidding me," Tony replied. "When we started seriously going out I was pretty much counting the days until you got fed up with _me_. Fuck, I wouldn't even blame you." He gripped Steve's chin between two gentle fingers and looked him in the eyes. "But you, Steve, you're it for me. And I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"How would I get fed up with _you_?" A blush tinged his cheeks and his heart filled with warmth at the sincerity in Tony's eyes. "I'm pretty sure I never looked at any guy twice once I saw you. Granted, the constant fighting in the beginning was a bit of a downer, but I wouldn't have had it any other way."

"I could think of a thousand reasons, starting with that until today I had no idea you clean the house, and even worse, it had never even occurred to me to pay attention," Tony said seriously. "I do feel bad about it. You do so much for me and not only do I never even say thank you, I don't even notice."

"Tony, it's fine, I promise. It's just differences in our nature. You were raised in an environment where things were done for you; I wasn't. There's nothing wrong with either."

Tony wrapped his arms around Steve and held onto him tightly. "Okay," he said after a moment, "If you're sure." He wriggled his foot. "I feel a building motivation to move this to the bedroom."

Steve chuckled, getting off of Tony carefully. "C'mon," he said, holding a hand out to his husband.

"Thank you, darling," Tony said and took the offered hand to let himself be pulled off the couch and into a standing position. "Ugh, just the thought of getting up early tomorrow..." he complained.

"Call in 'sick' then. You've been working a lot lately, you can probably afford it, right?"

"Not going to work tomorrow, remember? I'll just tinker a bit with Bruce," Tony said. "I meant about Phil coming here for Wade."

"Oh, right.. well, I suppose I can get up with them and let you sleep in, if you want."

"No, no. I'll get up. Just, can you wake me up tomorrow morning, and make sure I get up, please?" Tony said.

"Alrighty, will do. And maybe we could nap later in the day, depending on what Phil tells us about Wade?"

"Sounds lovely," Tony said and smiled. "Are you at home all day tomorrow? You know what we should do? Go somewhere for a nice dinner. Depending on how the talk with Phil goes, of course."

"Yes, that's the plan.. that sounds like a good idea. Where would you like to go?"

Tony shrugged. "I haven't thought about it yet. Are we going just the two of us? Or maybe we should take the kid and Wade, you know, get to know him a little better since he's now living with us," Tony said, "In which case, we might as well just bring the whole crew, if they're even at home."

"I think we should just take Peter and Wade. He seemed kind of overwhelmed by everyone at dinner."

"Hm," Tony said and nodded. "Do you think he'll warm up to us again? I mean, it shouldn't be permanent, whatever's bothering him, I hope at least." He remembered when Wade was still the obnoxious kid that snuck in at night to _hang out_ with Peter, who both annoyed and amused him.

"Hopefully he does. Irritating as he could be, he made Peter happy."

Tony sighed and nodded. He pulled on the hand Steve had helped him get up with, in direction of their bedroom. "We should have a hot tub in our room," he mused after a second and laughed. "Imagine that."

Steve grinned, thinking about it as he and Tony headed to their room. "It would definitely be relaxing, among other things." He and Tony split once they got to their door, with Steve heading to his dresser and Tony heading to his own, each in search of pajamas.

"Among other things," Tony repeated with a cheeky grin. He pulled out an old wifebeater, before stripping down to his boxers and hanging his suit over the back of a chair. He took a judging look down to the arc reactor before hiding it beneath the shirt and heading into their bathroom to brush his teeth. "It would take up a lot of space though, the hot tub," he called over his shoulder.

"That's an unfortunate truth," he replied, stripping down to his boxers and pulling on some pajama pants before going in to brush his teeth as well. "Is there such a thing as a compact hot tub?"

"Don't give me ideas," Tony joked, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, and he reached out to touch Steve's chest. He loved that Steve liked to sleep topless. His chest was like a flashlight, hence the shirt. "I bet I could make one."

"I bet you could," he replied, moving his hand to stroke over the arc reactor gently.

Tony let go of his toothbrush, letting it drop into the sink, and stood on the tip of his toes to press a foamy kiss to the corner of Steve's mouth. "Maybe I will."

"Maybe you should. Just make sure there's room for two." He grinned, chuckling when Tony pulled back. "Mmm, minty." He found his own toothbrush next, making short work of cleaning his teeth.

"It's okay," Tony grinned picked up his toothbrush. "You can sit on my lap." He washed a rest of tooth paste from his brush and put it away.

After Steve had finished brushing his, he turned to face Tony. "Actually, it might be better the other way around. 'Cause if I were on top, I'd squish you.. and I wouldn't be able to get to that one spot on the back of your neck that I like so much." He lifted his hand, placing it so that he could stroke the aforementioned spot with a slightly salacious grin.

"Well, if you put it like that," Tony said with a grin, shivering a little at the caress. "I can't _not_ agree. You can sit on the bottom." He turned to Steve, stepping closer, and held onto his arm to keep his hand in place.

Steve smirked, pulling Tony into a quick kiss.. which turned into Steve pulling him back in and kissing him properly, all the while rubbing over his neck.

Tony let his eyes slide closed. Kissing Steve was probably his favorite thing to do in the world, or at least it was among the top five. He put his free hand on Steve's chest, and stretched his back, straining to get closer.

Turning them so that Tony's back was to the counter, he lifted the smaller man up so that they were at a more equal height. It also had the added advantage of bringing them much closer, and letting him kiss his husband deeper.

Tony's breath hitched as he was picked up, and he put his arms around Steve's shoulders and crossed his ankles behind his husband's knees. "Steve," Tony sighed longingly against his lips.

Steve drew back slightly, pulling on Tony's lower lip with his teeth. He released it reluctantly, and took a deep breath. "As much as I don't want to stop this, we have to get up early tomorrow."

Tony chased after him to steal another brief kiss. "Oh damn," he said quietly, disappointment obvious in his voice. "You're right." He reluctantly untangled his legs. "Can I get one more kiss?"

"Fine," he said with a grin. "You're incorrigible. Let's get to bed first, though."

"Sure," Tony replied and playfully nudged Steve away from the counter so he could hop down. He straightened his boxers before striding past Steve to their bedroom.

Steve gave a playful wolf whistle as he followed Tony. "Baby, I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave."

Tony winked at him over his shoulder and blew him a kiss. He walked to his side of the bed and lifted the bedding so he could lay down. "Come on, soldier," he said with a grin. "Kiss me goodnight."

Steve joined him under the covers, turning over to give him a sweet, meaningful kiss. "Love you."

"And I love you," Tony replied with a soft smile, stroking a gentle thumb over Steve's cheek. "Goodnight, honey."

"Night, sweets. Sleep well," he replied, smiling back at him. He turned so that he was on his back, and stretched out with a satisfied groan before closing his eyes.

Tony turned to his side, wrapping his arms around his pillow like he felt most comfortable sleeping. "You too," he muttered, mouth halfway smashed against his pillow. "You'll wake me up, yeah?"

"'Course," he mumbled, half-asleep already. 


	4. Chapter 4

Steve slept soundly through the night, thankfully left alone by his usual nightmares. Once morning came around, he discovered he'd woken far too early, and decided to do his favorite thing to pass the time: sketch Tony sleeping.

Tony tossed from side to side for a while, he had never been very good at falling asleep. Eventually though, he forced himself to stay still for Steve's benefit, and, distracted by that goal, he fell asleep. The thing with Tony was, as hard as it was for him to go to sleep sometimes, he usually had no trouble sleeping for long stretches of time, if we wasn't disturbed by a nightmare. So when morning came around, and Steve woke up, Tony was still dead to the world, stretched out on his stomach, blanket lying kicked off on the floor.

Once Steve finished his drawing, he looked to the clock and noticed he'd killed just enough time. He moved over and started kissing at Tony's shoulder, which was his favorite way to wake the engineer.

When Tony began to slowly become aware of his surroundings again, he felt relaxed and well rested, and smiled sleepily at the presence of Steve at his side. He wasn't quite ready to open his eyes yet, so he reached out blindly for his husband and groaned something unintelligible.

Steve chuckled, his voice thick with sleep, and caught Tony's hand. He started moving up, kissing Tony's neck next. "Time to wake up, baby," he murmured into his ear, nipping it playfully.

Tony made an approving noise, before cracking open one eye and yawning widely. "'Mkay," he mumbled and turned his head to press his nose against Steve's cheek, while stretching his arms languidly.

"Mm.. as much as I want to stay like this all day, we've got teenagers to take care of," he said reluctantly.

Tony blinked slowly, getting his thoughts in order. "Yeah. Okay," he nodded. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Steve's sketchbook lying on the bed, figuring that he must've been awake for a while. "Did you watch me sleep again, you little creep?" he said and smiled warmly. "That's so sweet."

"Didn't just watch, drew. D'you know how gorgeous you are when you sleep? I couldn't help myself," he said with a sheepish grin and a shrug.

"I can imagine," Tony chuckled softly. "Unshaven and drooling on the pillow? Irresistible." Regardless, he leaned in to press a bashful kiss to Steve's lips, before turning onto his back and arching his back in a stretch.

"I refuse to have this argument again. You're irresistible, and that's that," he said firmly, sitting up and stretching as he got out of bed and made his way to the closet to find clothes

Tony scooted up against the headboard and watched Steve move around, enjoying his sleep-rumpled look, and general lovely shirtlessness. "If you say so," he replied absent-mindedly. "Are you going to check if Peter and Wade are up? Because I think I'm going to take a quick shower."

"Mm.. yes, but you can't talk about things like you showering without expecting me to think about it," he said, biting his lip as images of Tony naked and wet flitted across his mind.

"I wouldn't mind it if you joined me," Tony suggested with a grin. He looked around for phone to check the time. "Do we have time for that?" he asked Steve.

"Mm.. We have time for something quick," he said, looking over his husband's body appreciatively as he leaned against the doorway.

"Alright!" Tony exclaimed happily and all but jumped out of bed, all sleepiness washed away by the promise of getting lucky with Steve before they joined the kids downstairs.

"Race you there!" he said, laughing as he dashed over to the bathroom, narrowly beating him if only by an inch. "Winner gets a kiss," he said, leaning in to do just that as they made their way to the shower, each losing clothes in the process.

A yell of "JARVIS!" between kisses started the hot water and Tony completely stepped out of his boxers and into the shower, pulling Steve along with him. "Come on, gorgeous, we haven't showered together in way too long."

"I agree," he replied, moving under the spray and pulling Tony into another kiss. "I'll wash your back, you wash mine?" he murmured against Tony's mouth, smirking.

"Mhm," Tony agreed wordlessly and reached around Steve's back to where their shampoos and shower soaps were stacked. He squirted some into his hand and rubbed his hands together before applying the scented foam to Steve's beautifully sculpted shoulders.

Steve did the same, paying special  attention to the other man's waist and the curves of his ass.

Tony moved his arms lower on Steve's back slowly. Steve's body was a work of art and amazed him every single time they were together like this. "How do you want to do this, baby?" Tony asked into his ear, before gently biting his earlobe.

"Mm.. Up to you," he replied, grinding his hips into Tony's a bit. "Don't care, just want you."

Tony registered the reply, but was momentarily too caught up in Steve's push of hips to form a coherent thought. He shook his head to clear his mind. "Yeah, we should-" He wasn't sure if penetrative sex would be a good idea for a quickie, after all, due to them both having been very busy lately, there hadn't been much of that, and Tony, well, he wasn't twenty anymore. Instead, he put a steadying hand on the small of Steve's back, and moved the other to wrap around both their erections. "Okay?" he asked.

"Ah," he hissed, gasping slightly at the contact. "Yes, damn, more than okay."

It was a comfortable, familiar motion for Tony, the well-practiced slick and slide of his hand over sensitive skin. Tony let his forehead fall down on Steve's shoulder and he panted softly against his collarbone. The perfect combination of pressure and friction made him squeeze his eyes shut. "Ah, Steve," he groaned.

Steve tangled his fingers in Tony's damp hair, managing to only buck his hips into Tony's hand once or twice. He moaned, breathing heavily around a bitten lip.

Tony felt his orgasm building in his groin, and it was building fast, so he sped up his hand and lifted his head to kiss Steve's neck before stretching to catch Steve's lips.

Steve groaned against Tony's mouth, kissing him hard as he felt himself getting closer and closer to release

Tony produced a high, desperate noise in the back of his throat when he came and he clung to Steve and shuddered against him, his fist tightening around them.

Steve barely managed to stifle a shout as he followed Tony over the edge, biting his shoulder gently. "Holy hell," he murmured into Tony's skin, slightly breathless.

"Hm," Tony hummed contentedly and kissed the side of Steve's head. He felt elated and at ease like he hadn't in days. "I love you," he told Steve softly, hand finding its way into Steve's hair.

Steve grinned, slightly giddy. "Love you more."

Tony reached for the soap again, cleaning what hadn't been washed away by the warm water, while exchanging sweet and smiling kisses with Steve.

Steve followed suit. "Y'know, you're absolutely adorable like this. I could just eat you up," he said, nipping at Tony's shoulder.

Tony gave him a light-headed, mischievous grin. "Give me ten minutes, sweetheart," he said and laughed, tousling the back of Steve's head.

"Mm.. as much as I would truly love to go for a round two, we have to get the boys up," he said reluctantly.

"Yeah," Tony agreed, slapping a palmful of shampoo onto his head and rubbing it into his hair. "Maybe tonight," he mused. "After we get back from dinner."

"Definitely tonight," he promised, starting to scrub at his own hair.

Tony smiled at him, almost shyly. "I can't wait," he said, and finished his shower by sticking his head into the water to remove the shampoo. He leaned in for a final kiss and slid a lingering hand down Steve's arm before stepping out of the shower and reaching for a towel.

Steve kissed him soundly before he exited, then lingered to rinse himself off. "Do I hafta get out?" he whined playfully. "It's cold out there."

Tony grinned fondly and wrapped his towel around his hips. He picked up another one, shook it open and held it out for Steve. "Come on, I'll keep you warm."

Steve took the towel with a smile, wrapping it around himself. "You could just have Jarvis up the heat once in a while, y'know."

Tony rolled his eyes a little, but smiled. "You too, honey. Jarvis doesn't take orders from only me. He'll be more than happy to help you out if you're cold." He stuck his toothbrush into his mouth and pulled out a razor.

"Still feels odd asking your AI for things," he answered, securing the towel around his waist before joining Tony at the sink to brush his teeth.

"If it makes you uncomfortable talking to him, come talk to me and I'll do it for you. Anytime, really, or send me a text. I can control Jarvis from anywhere," Tony suggested, shaving the stubble that had grown in around his beard.

"It doesn't make me _uncomfortable_ , per say, just feels like it shouldn't be that easy to get what I want," he said, mostly intelligible around his toothbrush.

Tony looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "I find it as exasperating as I find it endearing that you still haven't gotten used to it."

"Uh.. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"I find it very cute," Tony clarified and nudged Steve's side playfully with his elbow. "Then again, you could probably do anything and I'd find it cute. You're just... I don't even know." He shrugged and smiled a little sheepishly.

Steve blushed, biting his lip around a shy smile. "I'm not the only cute one. The way you have to pour your milk counterclockwise, and how you always come find Peter and I when you get home and see how our day was..  Now that, sir, is adorably sweet."

"Are we going to have a contest here? Because I could keep going with examples of you being cute all day," Tony said with a soft smile. An image of Steve smiling brightly on their wedding day appeared in his mind and Tony almost swayed forward with a need to be close to him.

Steve moved over to wrap his arms around Tony, sighing contentedly as he thought of Tony and his face the day they first brought Peter home. Scared out of his mind, sure, but purely elated beyond that.

Tony leaned against his husband and pressed a kiss against his neck. "You'd think it'd get old after all these years, all the hugging and kissing," he mumbled against Steve's skin. "But it never does. It gets better every day." _I love you more every day_ , he left unsaid.

Steve heard the unspoken sentiment loud and clear, and returned it wholeheartedly. "I could never get tired of being close to you. One of my favorite things in the world, actually."

"Mine too," Tony said tightened his arms around Steve's waist. He was aware that he was again getting completely distracted by Steve's presence again, to the point of not even caring that Phil might be over soon and they hadn't had breakfast, or checked if Wade and Peter were up. Actually, they weren't even dressed yet.

Steve sighed, kissing the top of Tony's head and pulling away. "C'mon, one of us has to be responsible and dressed enough to meet Phil. Let's go find some clothes, yeah?"

 Tony grumbled something unflattering about Agent Coulson, but let go of Steve and picked up the clothes they had dropped on their way to the shower to dump them in the laundry bin. He made his way over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of soft, well-worn jeans and a t-shirt. "Thank god I don't have a meeting today. I'm getting really tired of wearing suits all the time."

Steve noted with appreciation how that particular pair hung on his husband as he pulled on some jeans of his own, and a brown button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. "I agree. I definitely like your suits; they make you look ridiculously sexy and powerful. However, I like you more like this. It's special, sort of, since we're the only ones that get to see you all relaxed like this."

"Okay, beautiful, let's face the day," Tony smiled and tugged on Steve's sleeve, opening their bedroom door. "Maybe I'll wear sexy and powerful tonight for dinner. Depends where we're going."

"Haven't decided where we should go yet," he said, following him with a smile. "Do you want to start breakfast, or get the boys?"

"You go check on the boys, I'll be in the kitchen," Tony replied. "Unless you'd rather..?"

"Nope, I'm fine with that," he said, heading towards Peter and Wade's room as Tony headed the opposite direction.  When he got to their doors, he said "Peter? Wade?" and knocked softly, so as not to wake Clint up unnecessarily.

"One second, Pops," Peter replied. He had been awake already, just about to put some clothes on. He finished pulling a sweater over his head and opened the door. "Morning," he greeted Steve, before sending a curious glance to the room Wade had disappeared into last night. "Breakfast?"

"Yeah, your dad's working on it. Do you want to wake him up or should I?" he asked, referring to Wade.

"So, breakfast is coffee and pop tarts? Great," Peter joked and pointed a finger at himself, before leaning against the doorframe to Wade's room and knocking softly. "Wade? Are you up?"

Wade had been tossing and turning most of the night, plagued by his usual nightmares. When Peter knocked, though, the sharp rapping pulled him out of dark depths he never wanted to see again, so for that he was grateful. "M'up," he said, his voice thick with sleep. He sat up, stretching out a bit before finding some clothes and heading into the hallway. Steve had headed back to the kitchen, but Peter was still waiting for him, so he greeted the boy with a ghost of a smile.

"I was gonna say good morning, but man, Wade, you look beat," Peter said with a surprised raise of eyebrows. "Couldn't sleep?" He tried to keep conversation light, if his fathers were right about their suspicion that something had happened to Wade, then he surely didn't need another worrywart around. "Are you hungry? My dad is making breakfast, uh, I mean Tony, so who knows what he's making, but still, food!"

He shrugged. "Slept a bit, but it wasn't what you'd call restful. I'm sorta hungry," he said, smirking a bit, "even for your dad's 'cuisine'."

Peter laughed and shrugged. "It might be delicious, you never know with him." He pushed himself off the doorframe and started in the direction of the kitchen. "Hey Wade," he said when they were still just out of earshot. "I'm here for you, you know that, right?" He gave Wade's shoulder a friendly pat and kept walking, not waiting for an answer.

Wade proceeded cautiously, unsure of how to respond. He knew he could trust Peter, but he wasn't certain he was ready to talk to anyone for more than a minute, let alone long enough to explain things. 


	5. Chapter 5

Wade followed Peter into the kitchen, and sat down next to him at the table after getting a glass of juice. Steve greeted him warmly, serving both of them a plate of eggs and bacon.

"Eggs and bacon? Good job, dad!" Peter said and Tony bowed graciously. Peter narrowed his eyes. Tony seemed awfully chipper, considering how early it was and what his mood was usually like in the morning. He sent Steve a questioning glance, before digging into his breakfast.

Steve smirked back at him, giving him a look that all but asked if he really wanted to know.

Peter's eyebrows rose slowly, then upon understanding, he frowned and wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, gross! Really, dads? - Never mind! Don't answer that." Tony smirked at his son, shrugged easily and sat down next to him with a large cup of coffee. "Do you kids have any plans tonight?"

"We didn't say a thing, Bambi." Steve chuckled. Wade looked to Peter to answer the question, not knowing if they were doing anything or not.

"If you two are going to be lovey-dovey all day, then yes, Wade and I have plans very far away from you," Peter said warningly, then he shrugged. "Otherwise, no. No plans tonight. Why?"

Steve shrugged, not really caring that Peter minded. "We're married, we can be as lovey as we want." He made exaggerated doe eyes at Tony, batting his eyelashes and trying not to laugh. He turned back to Peter, answering his question next. "We just wanted to go out for dinner as a family, that's all."

Tony blew Steve a kiss, playing along with a grin. Wade frowned briefly, before his expression smoothed out again, but Tony had caught it. "Yes, you're invited to family dinner too, Wade," he said and took a bite of his breakfast.

Steve nodded in agreement, giving the teen a warm smile. He then looked back to Tony. "What time did Phil say he would be here?"

Tony shrugged and pulled out his phone to check if Phil had sent him an update. He had. "He wants to be here by eight."

Steve looked at the clock, noting that they only had a short while before then.                                                           "Alrighty then, we'll have just enough time to clean up before he gets here. And Petey, I've got some chores you can do while Wade is speaking with Phil."

"Great," Peter responded, drawing out the word unnecessarily. As mature and well behaved he could be, he was still a teenager and doing chores just went against his nature. Tony rolled his eyes at his son, finishing his breakfast. "Jarvis, alert me when Agent Coulson gets here. I don't like it when he surprises me with his override codes."

"Sir, he is currently entering his access code on the ground floor," the AI replied. Steve gave Peter a look. "I could give you more if you want," he offered.

Peter grumbled something unintelligible and started stacking plates together. Tony got up from his seat. "I'll meet him downstairs and bring him to the living room," he sighed and made his way to the elevators in the hall.

Steve looked to Wade with a friendly grin. "So, Wade, what have you been up to lately?" he asked conversationally.

Wade stilled his hands from collecting the silverware on the table and looked up at Steve carefully. "Not much," he replied in a polite voice. "I've been-" Watching Peter. Hiding. _Regenerating_. "Living in your house. Sorry."

"No, no, it's alright. We'd much rather have you here and safe, with a warm place to sleep, than out in the streets somewhere," he replied sincerely.

He watched him motionlessly for a moment, before turning his eyes downwards. "You're too kind," he said quietly. He deserved none of the hospitality Peter's parents were extending to him, and he didn't quite trust it. They had no reason to let him stay, so as long as they didn't reveal their motives, he would keep his guard up.

Steve could see the distrust lingering in Wade's eyes, and he longed to dispel it. However, the only thing that would do that was time, so they would just have to wait. "Kindness and decency are two different things. Besides, it would kill Pete to see you hurt, and we've grown sort of attached to you as well," he teased, grinning.

Wade couldn't stop his lips twitching into a quick smirk. He was aware that he must have bugged the hell out of Tony and Steve, showing up in the middle of the night, tripping alarms left and right, eating all their food, and they seemed vaguely disapproving of his acquaintance to Peter too, at least in the beginning. His stubbornness had eventually outlasted their hostility towards him though. "Now that's an euphemism, if I've ever heard one."

"You're charming, in your own way. Tony's remark was that 'that annoying little fucker wormed his way into our lives, and if that wasn't enough, now I even like him'." Steve chuckled. "He meant it nicely, though the words don't quite show it."

Wade snorted. "That sounds like something he'd say," he agreed. He had actually grown quite fond of them as well, although he would never again make the mistake of confusing personal sympathy with trustworthiness. He closed off his expression.

Steve didn't miss the change in demeanor, and he knew the subject was dropped, but he had one last thing to add. "We just.. we want you to know you're safe here, Wade."

He tried to keep a grip on his expression, tried to keep it neutral, but his brows hitched upwards for a second and he blinked strongly. He kept his eyes on the table. "I wish," he whispered. He had told himself countless times, the reason why he chose the tower to hide himself was the excellent security system, and when he was in a particularly emotional mood, because he wanted to be close to Peter, but after early mornings brooding over their coffee with Tony, and Steve leaving an extra serving of dinner for him around, and him _receiving his own access codes_ , the tower felt a lot like home.

Steve heard the whispered desire, but chose not to comment on it at the moment because the elevator doors opened with a quiet 'snick', letting Tony and Phil out. He greeted them both with a wave and a grin. "There's coffee if you'd like it, Phil, and there might even be some- no, wait, Peter finished the bacon."

Phil smiled pleasantly, his eyes brightening as they tended to, around Captain America. "It's okay, I've already had breakfast. I'll take the coffee though, thank you." Tony walked right over to the coffee machine and poured a cup for Phil, and one for himself. "Anyone else?" he asked, just as Phil extended a hand to Wade over the table. "Mr. Wilson, good to see you."

"I'd like some coffee, please, if you wouldn't mind." Wade shook his hand uncertainly, ever cautious around figures of authority. "Nice to see you as well, Agent."

Phil settled himself into a chair, and Tony put the coffee down in front of him and Wade. Tony bent down to press a quick kiss to Steve's cheek. "I think there's more than enough people in here for some paperwork. I'll head down to the lab for a while, if you need me," he said and upon passing by Wade, casually squeezed his shoulder.

Wade tried to suppress the flinch that came at Tony's touch, but he wasn't as successful as he would have hoped. Suddenly aware of all the eyes in the room on him, he looked down into his coffee and took a big drink, ignoring the temperature so he could hide behind the mug.

Coulson eyed him for a moment but kept his face professionally unaffected. Tony, looking stricken, cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean- Sorry. I'll just... Yeah." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder and followed his own advice. Phil calmly took a sip of his coffee.

Wade eyed Phil once Tony had left. "What's your story? Why don't you react to like.. anything?"

"I've handled a lot of agents. Missions don't always go well," Phil said gravely. It wasn't the first time he saw certain symptoms - certain reactions - and unfortunately it would certainly not be the last.

He nodded. "That makes sense." He watched as Peter and Steve quickly busied themselves, and once they were out of earshot, he continued. "So, I know the story they fed me about signing new NDAs is bull. I actually read what I signed, and they're good for a while. So, why are you here?"

"This is a personal visit, Mr. Wilson. Nothing you say right now will ever make it into a report." Phil put his coffee down and folded his hands in front of him. "You reacted a certain way when Tony just touched you. Why is that?"

"Seriously?" he asked, not buying it. "'Personal visit'? Why the hell would you care?"

"We can turn this into an official interrogation any time you want, Mr. Wilson. I am here because someone who clearly cares about you asked me to, and even if I don't care about you personally, I care about them, and I respect their feelings on the matter." He took a sip of coffee. "I can assure you my discretion. I am merely offering you my experience with your situation."

He took a deep breath and looked down. "Sorry," he muttered. "The whole caring thing usually skips right over me. But.. What experience do you have with my supposed 'situation'?"

"I've been in charge of agents longer than you are alive, Mr. Wilson. Unfortunate things happen and they need to handled, or the wounds that have been inflicted, both physically and psychologically, might destroy a person. Even if it might not seem that way to you right now, there are ways you can be healed, whatever your situation might or might not be." He pulled out a folder out of his brief case.

"Yes, well, my healing is what got me into this whole mess," he said, frowning. "What's that?" He pointed to the folder, quirking his eyebrow up.

Phil opened the folder and pulled out several pieces of paper. "Oh this? We might not need this, depending on whether or not you're ready to talk about what happened to you." He paused and gave Wade a reassuring look. "If not, this is a list. You simply put a cross next to words that seem... appropriate. You can fill it out in your own time." He pushed the papers over the table. It was a horrible list, really, a collection of the worst things that could be done to a human, clinically spelled out on paper, but it provided the distance some victims needed.

Wade recoiled marginally as he went down the list and recognized many of the items. However.. maybe he could manage to fill this out, even if he couldn't verbalize it. "Do I have to talk about anything I mark off?

Phil would make this as easy as he could for Wade. Paperwork. It couldn't get less emotional. "Not at all. You can, however, choose to show this list, or parts of it to someone you trust. Even if you don't talk about it. Confiding in someone can help a great deal," Phil explained. These things couldn't be forced. If Wade refused to see a professional, this was all Phil could do for now.

"How do I know who I can trust, though?"

Phil smiled ruefully. "You can't. You can't know. It's a _choice_." He thought of the people he trusted in and his voice gained confidence. "You can never be 100% sure. But some people are worth taking that chance. If they put their trust in you, that's your safest bet."

Wade thought about how the Stark-Rogers family had taken him in, even when he'd been stowing away in their home. That sealed it for him. Though he probably wouldn't trust anyone for some time, possibly ever, they had put their trust in him, and that was worth something in his book. He nodded to Coulson, showing his understanding, and looked at the list again. It was rather intimidating, to say the least, but he thought he could handle it. Maybe he could even show it to Peter.

"Take as much time as you need," he advised him. Phil pulled a card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Wade. "Here is my number, should you need anything else, or if you have any questions. Regarding the list, or..." He trailed off. "Or other topics."

"Alright.." he said cautiously. "Other topics such as...?"

Phil shrugged and smiled pleasantly. "For example, things that might not be on this list that you need help expressing. Or if you feel that you need to talk to someone outside your circle of friends, or need a medical opinion. I'll point you in the right direction."

"Okay.. You're deceptively easy to accept, y'know. I can't decide if I liked that or not." He gave him a wary look for a moment, trying and failing to size him up.

"I'll leave that assessment up to you, Mr. Wilson. I heard you will be living here. I'll be around, so we might yet run into each other again." Phil put the folder back into his brief case and stood, casually offering his hand to Wade in a way that was easy to decline. "I'm afraid I have to head to work soon, although it was a pleasure to meet you."

"See ya, Agent," he said, giving him a brief, only partially sarcastic wave.

Phil nodded and pulled back his hand. "Good luck, Mr. Wilson," he said and turned to head into the hall. Maybe he could find Steve or Tony to give them a brief update. 


	6. Chapter 6

Wade made his way back to his room, planning to make his way through the list bit by bit.  Steve caught Phil on his way out, stopping him for a moment. "Hey," he said quietly. "How did things go with Wade? I mean, you don't have to tell me anything you don't think he'd want me to know, but.. what did you think?"

"He didn't seem willing to share information and I didn't make him, so I don't know any details, but I suggested that he should open up to someone and I gave him something to help... express himself," Phil explained. "If I had to guess, I would say he was tortured, possibly psychologically and physically, because he mentioned something about his healing ability." He sighed heavily and shook his head regretfully.

Steve frowned, trying to quell the impulse to go to Wade and fix things. He wanted to go demand the teen tell who did it, but he knew that would get him nowhere, so he stayed. "Is there anything we can do to help him?"

Phil smiled encouragingly. "I suspect he will open up to Peter first, but be prepared to listen and not judge him for anything he might reveal to you and Tony as well, even if it might be horrific." He put a gentle hand on Steve's arm. "Do not push him. He'll take the time he needs, going after the guilty party can come when he's found back to himself. In the meantime, showing him you care should help a great deal."

"Okay then," he said with a sigh. "We'll do whatever we can. I just.. I can't believe someone would hurt him like that, y'know? He sure could be annoying at times, but he's bright, and funny, and surprisingly sweet at heart. I don't know who would want to extinguish that light of his."

Phil's expression darkened. "I doubt they were very interested in his personality, even if he's a great kid. I'm having some of my sources ask around. Maybe they'll find something."

"Yes, I suppose you're right.. well, I'd better let you get to work before Fury has a fit. Thanks for helping us out, Phil."

Phil grinned at the thought of Director Fury. "No problem, I'm always happy to help." He shook Steve's hand. "I'll see you around," he said before taking the elevator to ground level.

"Yes, I suppose you're right.. well, I'd better let you get to work before Fury has a fit. Thanks for helping us out, Phil."

"Hm?" Peter replied and held up a foamy finger. "One second." He put away the pan he had been washing and dried his hands on a nearby hand towel, before turning around and leaning against the counter, looking concerned. "Okay. What is it?"

"Phil spoke with Wade, and gave me a bit of a summary afterward.. it seems as though something really awful has happened to him. He said not to try to make him talk or anything, just let him get over it in his own time and show him that we care. He said that Wade would be most likely to open up to you, but if he does, it could be pretty horrid. If that's the case, you need to try your best not to react, other than to be there for him."

Peter's face fell. "Something horrid, huh. I figured. He disappeared for two months, and now he's not himself anymore," he said quietly. "If he talks to me, I'll try not to react, if that helps him, but Pops, how am I not going to react to something like that?" 

"All you can do is try. Think about how glad you are to have him back, to have him out of the hands of whoever did this to him, instead of dwelling on it," he said with a shrug.

Peter nodded firmly, but frowned. "I'm angry. I'm angry that someone hurt him," he admitted.

"I know, bud. It's reasonable, perfectly reasonable. But for right now, that anger isn't going to do anything to help him. I'm not saying you should get over it. I'm saying you should hold onto it, and save it for when we figure out who hurt him, because they're sure as hell going to pay."

Peter looked up at him and smiled briefly. "Thanks, Pops," he said. "Do you think he wants to be alone? Or would it be okay to ask him to hang out?"

"He would probably like to get his mind off of things. I'll finish these," he said, walking over to the sink. "Just make sure not to stray too far, if you leave, since we're doing dinner later."

"Thanks," Peter said, in regards to the dishes, then rolled his eyes slightly. "Pops, it's like nine. Even if we were to go out, we'd be back for dinner."

"Hey, I don't know what you might have wanted to do," he said with a shrug. "You two have been gone for hours before."

Peter admitted that was true. "Okay. We'll stay in reach and be home for dinner. Where are we going to eat?"

"Haven't decided yet. We were thinking somewhere small and quiet, out of the way enough that we won't get recognized and Wade won't get overwhelmed."

"Yeah, that would be smart, I think." He gave Steve a smile, before heading back in the direction of his hallway to check on Wade.

Wade was dragged out of his thoughts by a knock on his door. He'd been going over the list, but had gotten lost in unpleasant memories, so he was glad for the interruption. He quickly hid the list and went to his door, opening it to find Peter on the other side. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," Peter replied softly and smiled. "You busy? Want to hang out?"

"No, not really. Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"We have time until dinner. I was thinking video games, we haven't played in a while. I beat all your high scores." He grinned. Maybe wildly shooting at stuff would release some tension, and if Wade wasn't up for that, there was still stuff like racing games, or jump and run. "How about it?"

He gave him a dubious look. "No way you beat my COD kill streak."

Peter cocked a challenging eyebrow at him. "I had a lot of free time on my hands," he said and started walking backwards towards his room.

Wade followed, taking his customary spot on one of the beanbags in front of Peter's TV. "Why've you had so much free time?"

Peter flopped down next to him, handing him a controller. He sent Wade an uncertain glance, but decided to tell the truth. "My best friend wasn't around to hang out anymore," he said carefully.

Wade took a deep breath and let it out in a bit of a sigh, unsure of how to respond to that. "Sorry," he said finally. "Had some stuff to deal with."

"Yeah, it's okay. When I was done moping around and being bored I got angry and smashed all your high scores, so you better be ready to get your ass kicked by me right now," Peter said with a grin and started a game.

"No way in hell," he said challengingly. "I'll beat your skinny little ass," he teased with a smirk. "Always have, always will."

"In your dreams, Wade, in your dreams." Peter grinned, well aware that Wade won most of their matches, but he still enjoyed it and he had missed their little competitions a lot over the last few weeks.

"You're on, kid." He gave him a challenging smirk before starting the match.

Once he finished with the dishes, Steve headed down to Tony's workshop, to speak with him and Bruce about any uniform changes or redesigns. On his way down, he bumped into Clint, who seemed to be headed down there as well. Steve greeted him with a friendly grin, and they fell into step as they went on their way. "So, Phil came by to talk to Wade this morning, and we think it might have helped," he said hopefully.

"Oh yeah? Well, good," Clint said, and glanced at Steve. "Is it private or can I ask what's up with him? I only saw him when I caught him, and last night during dinner, and he seemed... different. I also payed attention last night, like you asked me to, but he didn't leave the room. I didn't hear any loud noises either."

"I'd tell you if we knew. It seems like someone hurt him pretty bad, over an extended period of time, but we don't know for sure." He shrugged, sighing sadly. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him, though."

"I'll help however I can, especially if he really was hurt," Clint promised. He wasn't exactly close friends with Wade, but he knew him, of course, as much as he used to hang out around the tower, practically Peter's shadow.

"Thanks," he said sincerely. "If he's up for it, I might send him your way for just an objective guy to talk at, y'know? And with your experience before SHIELD, he might be able to relate a bit." He shrugged again. "I dunno, I guess we'll just have to see how things go."

"Sure, you do that. I've.. lived through a few things myself," Clint replied. "Are you going down to the lab? I've been thinking about my uniform, and I want Tony to take a look at my quiver strap."

"Yep. I was mostly headed down to make  sure Tony wasn't going to do any thing too racy to my uniform, but also to check out that carbon fabric Bruce synthesized. Sounds pretty nifty."

Clint nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, pretty amazing, right? I know Tony's the genius here, but Bruce is pretty smart too."

"They're both brilliant," he agreed. "Leaps and bounds above the rest of us, anyway."

"Well, you can't be good at anything," Clint shrugged. "So Tony's going to mess with your uniform? Can we expect to fight next to Captain America in a thong during the next alien invasion?" He grinned teasingly.

Steve blushed, but bantered back good-naturedly. "Hey, they're going to be working on yours as well. Bruce probably wouldn't mind seeing you in a bit less, if you know what I mean."

"Do you think?" Clint grinned. "You're probably seeing things, Bruce not interested in me like that."

"He cares about you a lot," he replied seriously. "I don't know the extent of it, but I know that much."

"Well, I care about him too," Clint answered, just as they turned around the corner and were standing in front of the lab. He knocked on the glass.

Bruce looked up from the hologram he'd been working at, and waved the two men in. He had to ask Jarvis to turn the music down a notch or twelve, but once he did he greeted them warmly. "Hey, you two. Come over and check out the designs we've drawn up."

Clint walked over to see what Bruce was working on. "Okay, impress me. Maybe I'll let you do my uniform after all." Tony emerged from the depths of the lab and extended his arms happily. "Steve! And oh, Clint."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head at Tony's response. "You don't have to say it like that, Tony. What's wrong with Clint?" Bruce expanded the model, moving it around and showing Clint what they'd changed, and what they left the same, save for upgraded findings and fastenings. "Is there anything specific you wanted changed?" he asked, looking over at the archer.

"He's not you," Tony pointed out, making his way over and stealing a kiss. Clint looked at the model. "I don't know," he said thoughtfully "I like my uniform, but if you find something that could be improved, I think I could be persuaded."

Steve gave him a short, sweet kiss, as he wasn't a huge fan of PDA, but linked their fingers together when he pulled back. "Show me whatcha got, sweets," he requested, gesturing toward the model of his own suit. Bruce turned the model a couple more times, looking it over. "We could add sequins," he said, feigning seriousness.

Clint stared at him for a moment, before breaking out into laughter. "Make them purple and I could be up for that," he replied.  Tony pulled Steve towards his workstation and moved the model in front of them with his free hand. "Look here, I added a loop here that can be hooked onto my suit. It would make it a lot easier when you fly with me. What do you think?"

Bruce laughed as well, shaking his head. "No, really, I can't find anything that could be improved. SHIELD did a good job designing, all we want to do is replace the fabric. We'll have to do some testing before you can use it in the field, to ensure mobility remains the same, but other than that the changes shouldn't be noticeable." Steve nodded, looking it over. "I like the concept, but what if it gets stuck on something it shouldn't? That looks like somewhere that would snag pretty often."

"Oh yeah!" Tony grinned. "That's the best part. It's retractable. I'll put a button somewhere on the suit, I haven't decided the best place yet."  "Great," Clint cheered, laughing. "Being poked and prodded to check the uniform, I always love that."

"Oh, okay then. Great," he said with a grin. "Looks a whole hell of a lot easier than hanging on for dear life around your waist," he continued. Bruce shook his head again. "No, we won't be poking or prodding you." Not that I wouldn't want to, but that's another matter, he thought. "We'll just have you run through some of your exercises and basic movements, maybe some sparring, just to make sure the fabric's elasticity is on par with what you've got now. We wouldn't want to send you out on a mission in a suit that's too stiff to fight in."

Clint grinned. "That's okay, I was joking. And I'll be glad to do some stretching. Are you going to make me do yoga?"  Tony tilted his head. "But I always like it when you hold onto me like that. Makes me feel like your knight in shining armor. Almost literally."

"Well, I was under the impression that you didn't do yoga in your uniform very often, but if you want to, be my guest," he said with a shrug and a smile.  Steve grinned, ignoring the slight tinge to his cheeks. "I don't have to do that for you to be my knight in shining armor."

"Hmm, I know," Tony smiled boyishly, "but I like it anyway. You're always big and strong, and don't get me wrong, I like it that you can manhandle me and pin me down or lift me up, but I guess I like it the other way around too."  Clint nodded in agreement. "I'll just make an appointment with Natasha. She enjoys making me bend around in every way when we spar, I think she just like being difficult." He looked over his shoulder to check that she wasn't behind him, and then grinned conspirationally at Bruce.

Steve thought for a scant moment. "Hm.. you be the knight in shining armor, and I'll be the dork in tinfoil. Sound good?"  "I'm pretty sure she heard that. She hears everything," he said in a slightly wary tone. "However, I agree. If Natasha didn't like being difficult, our world would be a much different place."

"Okay, but you'll be the cute kind of dorky, all awkward and adorable." He sent a regretful glance at Bruce and Clint talking a few feet away, because Steve wouldn't let Tony touch him much when they were in company. "Honey, come stand over here, Jarvis still has to scan you for the model."  Clint leaned closer to Bruce and whispered, "I know. If we wake up with our hair glued to the pillow, we know who did it."

Steve nodded, but before he moved, he leaned in to whisper things in Tony's ear that most definitely couldn't be repeated in private company regarding his plans for the engineer that night, once the Tower grew vacant as its occupants went to sleep.  He smirked as he walked over to where Tony had directed before, standing with his arms at his sides. Bruce held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not the one that said it. My hair should be safe," he teased.

"You traitor, you agreed with me," Clint narrowed his eyes jokingly and leaned back again. Tony, in the meantime, stared after Steve dreamily, mouth hanging open, eyes wide and a hand halfway in the air to touch him, not moving from his spot.

"Back on task, Tones," Steve said, smirking more as Tony stood there in a daze.  "I may have," countered Bruce, "but you brought it up. Don't worry, I'll help you pry your hair from the pillow," he said with a soft smile.

Clint smiled back warmly, momentarily distracted by the sparkle in Bruce's eyes and the cute laughter lines around them. Tony shook his head and cleared his throat. "Jesus Christ, Steve," he swore softly and followed after his husband.

Try as he might, Bruce couldn't stop himself from staring at Clint, and the strong planes and slopes of his face. Steve chuckled. "Scan away, or you'll get distracted by something," he said, trying not to laugh.

Tony stuck a tongue out at his husband and busied himself giving directions to Jarvis. "Wow, a 3D-scan of you, Steve. I can't even count all the things I could do with that." Clint cleared his throat. "Okay, well, then, is there anything else you need my input for?" he asked shyly.

Steve blushed, biting his lip. "Don't be lewd, Tony." Bruce thought for a moment. "Hm… no, I don't think so.. oh, wait, what about your quiver strap?"

"Oh, right, almost forgot. When I move around a lot it keeps sliding higher until its side is against my neck and chafes. I can adjust it by pulling it back down, but I don't have time to keep tugging it around when we're in battle," he explained, sliding a finger over the spot on his neck the strap cuts into. "It's annoying."  "Oh yeah, Steve, don't loose that expression. Jarvis, scan! Quickly!" Tony said, hurrying around his interfaces to monitor the process.

Bruce nodded, looking over the spot carefully. "What do you think of a clip to hold it in? It wouldn't be stuck there, just enough to stop it from sliding around. It could even be magnetic, so it could come off without messing with anything."  Steve blushed worse. "Tony, why do you need a scan that includes me blushing like a teenager?"

"It's not so much I _need_ as I really really want to," Tony grinned. "I like how you look when you blush. I've never seen anyone blush prettier than you." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Then again, I've never seen anyone prettier than you without a blush either."  Clint nodded. "Whatever you think works best, I trust you." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Tony and Steve. "Can you believe those two? They've been together for years now, and Tony still sounds like he's trying to talk Steve into a second date."

All that explanation did was make Steve blush worse and look down, hiding his smile. Bruce looked at the model again and thought for a moment. "Yeah, that should probably work." He turned his gaze to the lovesick couple on the other side of the lab. "I dunno," he said, shrugging and smiling. "I think it's kind of sweet. Y'know," he started, taking a deep breath, "Speaking of dates... I may or may not have been thinking about what it might take to get you to agree to go on a date with me," he said quietly, looking anywhere but at Clint when he was done.

Clint looked at Bruce wide-eyed and blushed. "You want to go on a date? With _me_?" he asked incredulously. Bruce was so amazing and after frankly a rather long time of admiring him, he hadn't really considered that Bruce might be interested in him as well. He drove a hand through his hair. "Jeez, I mean, yes, of course I want to go out with you. No persuasion of any kind needed."  Jarvis finished the scan and announced the completion of the process. Tony pulled up a hologram of it in front of them. "Look at you!" he grinned. "Give me, maybe, two days, and I can animate digital-you as well."

"Well yeah, of course I do," he answered easily, his confidence bolstered by Clint's quick agreement. "Who wouldn't?" Steve chuckled. "If you've got a digital me, then I guess you don't need me anymore?" he asked, teasing.

"Digital-you may have your body, but he has none of your charm, and I can't touch him," Tony replied. "I might record you though, and have digital-you follow me around all day saying 'I love you, Tony'." He grinned jokingly at Steve, before frowning lightly, actually considering the possibility.  "I could think of a few people... But thanks." Clint smiled, fidgeting with his hands. "So, about this date?"

"You zone out when you're in the lab. Digital-me would get bored," he countered with a smirk.  Bruce grinned, then realized he didn't have anything else to say about it. "Uh.. Well.. I wasn't sure you'd say yes, so I hadn't really thought that far ahead. Any place in particular you'd want to go?"

"I don't know," Clint admitted, then smiled, getting an idea. "Do you like books? I mean, do you read a lot?"  "He's digital, he doesn't get bored. It's his strongest point, but also his weakest," Tony said. "God, just look at him standing around doing nothing, I'm already getting bored with him. I guess I'll have to make you follow me around to stroke my ego, you're much more fun anyway."

"Yeah, definitely," he said brightly. "What did you have in mind?" Steve, seeing that Clint and Bruce were thoroughly distracted, moved closer to Tony. He placed his hand on the side of the engineer's neck, caressing his cheek softly, and leaned in a bit. "I'm a lot more reactive, too," he pointed out, leaning in to give him a short, sweet kiss.

"It's a surprise," Clint grinned and bit his lip. What he had in mind was a lovely used-book store, messy and intimate, that had corners to read, and served tea and snacks. He liked to shop there sometimes. Clint read more than most people would think, although he could objectively admit that he had crappy taste in books. "If you're okay with that."

Tony hummed against Steve's lips happily and cupped his jaw in one hand. "You're unusually cuddly today, baby. I love it." It was a lucky, and unfortunately rather rare occurrence, that they both had the day off. With no stress for either of them, they could be as relaxed and playful as they wanted. Tony wished it could be like that every day.

"No, I don't mind that at all." He smiled shyly, biting his lip a bit. Steve smiled brightly down at his husband. "Well, you've been really sweet lately. I just can't help myself."

"I can't help it," Tony replied softly, "I guess every time we don't have time for each other for a few days I go back to our honeymoon phase."  Clint nodded. "Okay then, well, when would you like to go?" he asked.

"Well, I can't honestly say I mind. It's cute, among other things, and undeniably attractive." Bruce shrugged. "I dunno. Barring any Avengers business, I'm pretty free. Tony won't need me for a while," he said, glancing at the couple being all adorable together. "So, yeah. Whenever works for you, really."

"I'm so lucky to be married to you," Tony said and leaned in again, brushing his fingers over Steve's cheek. Clint cleared his throat, rolling his eyes at Steve and Tony in the background. "Alright, I'll need to prepare some stuff," he said. Like where he could take Bruce if he didn't seem to like the books, or where to go if they wanted to eat something. "And I'll get back to you with a date so you can check your schedule."

"Not as lucky as I am." He grinned. Bruce nodded, smiling brightly. "Alrighty, sounds good."

"Okay, well... I'll see you soon then," Clint said with a smile, wrapping up their conversation. "If you don't stop saying stuff like that, I'll have drop to my knees here and now, and scar Bruce and Clint forever," Tony warned lightly.

"Yeah, see ya. I'll call you back down when we have the uniform ready for testing, but that may not be for a while," he said, starting to enter data into the machine again as he spoke. "Mm.. save it for the bedroom, sweets, or no sex for a week," Steve threatened playfully.

"A _week_?" Tony asked, incredulous. "You find me finding you irresistible is worth that bad a punishment? Harsh."  Clint nodded and smiled at Bruce, waving him goodbye as he slowly left the lab to go do some training.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm fine with you doing whatever you like to me, my only problem is you doing it in front of other people," he said, glancing over at Bruce momentarily.

"Okay," Tony relented, pouting. "I respect that." He had been joking, anyway. He knew Steve was a bit shy about PDA, and even if he hadn't been, Tony wasn't about to give out blowjobs with their teammates in the same room.

"Thanks, doll," he said with a grin, hoping to dispel the frown on Tony's face.

"I know what you're doing, honey, and I will only be comforted by kisses," Tony said, chin raised high.

Steve sighed, acting like it was some big hardship. "Fine," he said, pulling him into a sweet kiss.

"Mmh, lovely," Tony smiled. "You're back in my good graces." Behind them, Bruce cleared his throat. "I just wanted to remind you that I'm still here."

Steve's face turned red as a stoplight, and he pulled back from Tony quickly. "See what I mean?" he sighed, shaking his head as he looked over to Bruce. "Sorry, Tony can be.. persistent."

Bruce shook his hands in front of him. "Oh, no, don't apologize, you haven't done anything yet. It was just a precaution, before you two get too invested in that kiss."

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "Maybe I should leave.. Tony here doesn't seem to be able to concentrate while I'm anywhere in his presence," he teased.

Bruce grinned and nodded. "That would be preferable if you want Tony to get anything done today. It's sweet, really." Tony rolled his eyes. "Don't call me sweet, Bruce. You don't have to go, Steve, I can do work some other time."

"Oh, no, call him sweet all you want," Steve replied with a grin. "And Tony, maybe you _can_ do it later, but you _should_ do it now. It's not even noon, we can spend time together later."

"Why do you hate me so, Bruce. See? You're making him leave. I don't make Clint leave when he comes down here to awkwardly stare at you," Tony complained, but reached out for Steve to kiss him goodbye for now. He had an afternoon nap, and a family dinner to look forward to after all.

Steve kissed him goodbye chastely, and made his exit.  Bruce grinned, looking down a bit. "Not just awkwardly staring anymore."

"Oh?" Tony asked and looked up. "Did he finally ask you out? How did I miss that? Such a historic moment! And I missed it!"

Bruce smiled bigger. "I asked, actually. And you missed it because you were all caught up in loverly," he teased.

Tony clapped Bruce on the arm. "Good for you, buddy, I'm glad. It was about time anyway." He grinned sheepishly. "So what's the big plan? Please don't tell me dinner and a movie."

"He won't tell me. Says it's a surprise. I'm pretty excited," he admitted.

"Alright, well, let's hope he doesn't choose dinner and a movie. It's nice, but it's so cliché," Tony said, turning back to his computer, then said quieter. "This is a big deal, isn't it? He's been into you for so long."

"I'm sure I'll love whatever he picks.. But he was asking if I liked books, so probably not a movie." He nodded. "Yeah.. I haven't had the whole 'returned affections' thing in a while, so that's pretty new, and on top of that it's _Clint_ ," he said, his smile growing shy as he picked at a loose thread on his pants.

Tony smiled, excited for his friend, after having watched hopeful, longing looks and puppy eyes from both of them for so long. "I hope it works out. You deserve it, and you'd be good together."

"Thank you. For what it's worth, you and Steve have been amazing for each other as well."

Tony's gaze turned dreamy. "Yeah, Steve's perfect. I can't even imagine my life without him anymore."

Bruce chuckled. "I hope I end up stupid in love like you two one day. For now, though, we have uniforms to work on, so let's handle that," he said, turning to his model and starting to manipulate it.  Later that day, Steve realized it was past one, and Tony, as usual, had neglected to come get anything resembling lunch. He sighed in fond exasperation, more than used to it by this point, and headed downstairs to extract his husband from the lab.

Tony was knee-deep in chemical formulas when one o'clock came around - figuratively speaking of course. He and Bruce had taken the better part of the morning to edit their designs and were now brooding over the fabrics to get the best possible combination of tough and stretchy. As usual, when he was completely invested in his work, he didn't even notice the door opening when Steve came in, too busy entering code into the computer and muttering equations, half to himself, half for Bruce to listen to.

Steve grinned and stepped up to Tony, pulling him into a hug from behind and resting his head on Tony's shoulder. "You get really absorbed in science sometimes, Tones. Can't even look up long enough to notice your own husband coming in."

Tony startled and broke off mid-equation. "Jarvis, save!" he called while holding onto Steve's arms around him and turning his head with a wide smile. "Honey, Steve, my darling, when did you come in?"

Steve laughed at Tony good-naturedly for a quick second before he spoke. "You're adorable. I wasn't here long, barely a minute or so. You need to come eat, though. Growing engineers like yourself need balanced meals," he teased.

"Yeah, yeah, it's okay, I'm not hungry," Tony waved him off with an excited grin. "Have you heard the news yet? Bruce and Clint are going on a mysterious date."

"You still need to eat." He smiled brightly, looking over at Bruce. "Hey, that's great! I'm happy for you.  Why mysterious, though?"

"Tony's exaggerating with the mysterious. Clint's organizing our date, and he's keeping the details secret," Bruce smiled. "But thank you. I'm pretty happy too." Tony, ever easily convinced by Steve, put his calculations on standby. "Okay, what's for lunch?"

"That's sweet, I hope you two have fun," he said sincerely. "We're just having sandwiches, but you need food, mister," he said to Tony.

"Thank you," Bruce said again, chuckling about Tony's usual disregard of things that kept him alive and functioning. Tony shrugged. "That's okay, I like sandwiches just fine. Have you already eaten, or are you eating something with me?" he asked Steve.

"Nope, I hadn't eaten yet. I got a bit caught up in a drawing," he replied, with a slightly sheepish grin.

"Oh? What were you drawing?" Tony asked curiously and waved at Bruce as he passed him on his way to the door.

"Just last night's dinner, all of us together." He shrugged. "Nothin' fancy."

"Sounds pretty fancy to me," Tony replied with a smile. Steve's art always amazed him. "At least you didn't draw me sleeping again. You must have a whole book of that by now. Has Peter had lunch yet?"

Steve smiled. "I do, actually. I could fill a multitude of sketchbooks with you sleeping, sweets. I don't know if he has, but last I checked in, he and Wade were playing video games and I didn't want to bug them. They'll come crawling out when they get hungry, or smell food."

Tony laughed. "You're right. They're teenagers, they probably have snacks hidden everywhere anyway." Tony nudged Steve's side gently as they made their way to the kitchen. "Are we still having our nap later?"

Steve nudged Tony back with a grin. "Definitely. I'm unusually tired, and nothing helps me sleep better than you."

Tony faked a pout. "How rude, I'm not _that_ boring." Upon arriving in the kitchen, Tony opened the fridge to pull out the bread.

"I dunno, your science jabber can get pretty dull," he said, playing along as he got out the meat, veggies and cheese.

Tony grasped at his chest. "Ouch, fatally wounded." He grinned. "I'll talk science all night if it helps you sleep, honey. Anything for you, love."

"I don't care whatcha talk about, just wanna hear your voice," he replied, starting to assemble sandwiches.

Tony leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. "Okay, I'll talk. But I don't know how long I can keep it up. Now that I'm not in the lab anymore, I'm starting to feel a little sleepy."

Steve looked over at him, slightly dubious. "Really? Tony Stark not being able to talk? I find that hard to believe."

"You just have to take me to bed and find out then, don't you," Tony grinned and pulled out plates for them, setting them down on the table.

"Mm.. Stop that, you, or we won't get any sleep." He smirked, and set a sandwich on each plate. "You thirsty?" he asked, getting out some juice and pausing at the cupboard for Tony's answer.

"A little, thanks," Tony replied and sat down at the table. "Now that I think about it, there's lots of occasions when I don't talk."

"You're welcome." He sat down across from Tony and handed him his glass. "Such as when?"

"Such as when," Tony said with a grin and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, seeing if Steve would get what he was implying. "Such as when my mouth is otherwise busy."

"Mm.. Maybe so, but you're certainly not quiet when it's not busy." Steve gave him the same look back, definitely getting the drift.

"You know what to do if you want to shut me up then," Tony replied, picking up his sandwich and closing his eyes in appreciation. "I'm going to busy my mouth with this delicious sandwich that you made me now, sweetheart."

Steve chuckled. "You're a dork, y'know."

"I'm _your_ dork, and proud of it," Tony corrected, and took a huge, smiling bite out of his sandwich. He said something, but with his mouth full, all that came out was a strangled hum.

"And I wouldn't want it any other way," he said, trying not to laugh harder. "Want to try that one again?"

Tony smiled. "It's probably good you didn't hear it the first time. I forgot to make it family-friendly. I said," Tony repeated, swallowing his bite. "Pretty good, but I like your _you know_ better."

"You would," he replied, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I swear, you're incorrigible."

Tony shrugged in a _sorry, not sorry_ manner. "It's not my fault I have such a sexy husband," he said and took another bite of his sandwich. "Who makes excellent food, on top of that."

Steve blushed, smiling shyly. "Stop that. S'just a sandwich."

Tony smiled fondly at the blush and put his hand on Steve's forearm. He squeezed gently. "I'm a little corrigible though, right? I'm not making this too hard for you?" He enjoyed Steve's good influence on him, but couldn't help but resist playfully sometimes. He just had to be careful that he wasn't too stubborn and tried Steve's patience where it wasn't welcome.

"Nah, I know it's just Tony being Tony." He smiled, and covered Tony's hand with his free hand, and stroked it gently. "If I really minded, would I have let it go on this long?"

"Just making sure," Tony said, voice gentle. "The last thing I want to do is make you mad at me, honey. You know I like to tease, but if you've had enough, just say, and I'll take a break."

"I promise it's fine. I even like it sometimes, I'm just not as open about it all as you are."

"Okay," Tony says, reassured and leans back in his chair again to resume eating his lunch. "I like that I can still make you blush anyway, cutest thing ever."

"Yeah, I'm aware. Pretty sure you do it every chance you get."

"It'll be a sad day when you're so used to me that I can't embarrass you anymore," Tony grinned. He took a sip of his juice.

"Don't worry." He paused, taking a bite. "Pretty sure that day will never come."

"I hope so," Tony mused and smiled at his husband. "What are your plans after lunch?"

He smiled fondly back at Tony, thinking for a moment. "Mm.. Nothing much. Sleeping, then dinner later. Other than that I got nothin'. What about you?"

"Same. Apropos, we should figure out where to get dinner," Tony reminded Steve. "Or do you want to just drive around and stop whatever grabs our fancy?"

He nodded, and took a quick drink. "I like that idea, that way we can get something everyone likes."

"Or we get into a fight on where to go and drive around aimlessly until we're all too hungry to argue anymore," Tony shrugged. "Either way, yay food!"

He chuckled, nodding. "Last time we did that we ended up at that really peculiar thai place. Pete was pretty sure the manager was an alien."

"I'm still not completely convinced that he isn't," Tony grinned. "Maybe Wade has some place he likes, although I don't know if we can get him to open his mouth about it."

"Come on, give the kid a chance. He needs us to give him time," he said gently. "Maybe Peter could ask him?"

Tony shrugged. "I _wish_ he would say something, I just don't know if he will. I'll ask Peter." He pulled out his phone to send a text to his son.

"He'll come around eventually, he just needs to learn that he can trust us."

"Did Phil say that? Could he find out what happened?" Tony asked.  Hey buddy, what does Wade want for dinner tonight? -TS

"He said something like that, yeah. He said we need to let him come to us, if he chooses, in his own time."  Peter heard his phone chime, and paused their game long enough to read the message and look over to Wade. "Hey, Dad wants to know what you want for dinner?"

Wade looked down at the controller he was playing with, pushing random buttons now that the game was paused. "Anything is fine," he replied. He was just a guest.

"Are you sure? They don't want to go somewhere you won't like."

Wade looked up at Peter and watched him for a moment. "Where do you want to go?" It was just food, he wasn't even a particularly picky person. He doubted that, wherever they liked to go as a family, it wouldn't be something he might hate.

He shrugged. "I don't really have any preference, to be honest. Mostly it's just 'see food, eat food' for me."

Wade couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Same." He was quiet for a moment, looking at the paused screen in front of them. "I can't imagine how your parents come to an agreement on where to eat. They seem like they would have completely different taste."

"They do, sorta. They both like almost everything, and within those subcategories Dad likes all the things Pops doesn't, so they generally split whatever they get. They do have some weird shit they both like, though." He pulled a face. "They both like pickles and bananas, which is weird as hell."

"Pickles and bananas _together_?" Wade asked, a little grossed out. "That's gross." The thought of Steve and Tony splitting their dinners made him smile though. Peter's dads were at the same time the oddest and most lovingly codependent couple he had ever seen. "Your dads are so weird."

"Yeah, together. Gross as hell. They're super weird, but, y'know, mutual weirdness and all that. They're sometimes sickeningly adorable, but they have each other, y'know?" He smiled a bit. "It's cute. Sometimes too cute, but cute just the same and I'm glad they got their heads out of their asses and got together, because they're great for each other."

"Yeah, it's good that they're together, so they can appreciate each other's weirdness," Wade said and grinned. "I guess every relationship works like that. People who can appreciate each other's weirdness."

Peter gave him a soft grin and nodded. "Hang on a sec and I'll text him back, then I can get back to kicking your ass." He smirked and pulled his phone out.  Hey, Wade and I don't really care as long as it's edible and not weird. - PP

Tony stared down at his phone, slightly offended. "Peter says they don't care as long as it's not weird," he read out to Steve, then looked up at him. "What does he mean, weird? We have perfectly good taste!"

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Sweets, remind me; what's the only way you'll eat peanut butter?"

Tony scowled and grumbled something under his breath. "Whatever. Peanut butter goes great with bacon, it's _not_ weird. Just for that I'm picking something awful."

"Don't torture the boys for having normal taste buds. Let's go Italian or something like that?"

"I don't think there's an Italian place here that can make better pasta than you, honey, but I guess I could go for some pizza," Tony mused and picked up his phone again.  Italian non-weird enough for you spoiled brats? -TS

Steve blushed, ducking his head a bit. "Stop that, you."  We're not spoiled, we'd just like to actually be able to eat whatever's served. Italian's fine. - PP

Tony tilted his head and smiled at him, lifting his free hand to gently rub Steve's neck. "Peter and Wade are apparently fine with Italian. Did you have a place in mind?"

"I was thinking of that little place just off of Fourth and Freemont?" He leaned into Tony's touch, smiling back at him.

"Oh, I like that one," Tony approved. "Jarvis, make a reservation, just in case. They're not usually crowded, right?" he asked Steve.

"Not really, no. I've seen a few regulars but other than that,  not many people."

"Perfect," he sighed contently and leaned in to ask Steve for a brief kiss. "This'll be nice. Finally a fun, relaxing evening, just us and the kids."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I was being a dork and forgot to set these up to update while I was gone. You guys get extra today since I slacked off!

Steve kissed him softly, giving a matching sigh and nodding when they pulled away. "Yeah, this will be good for us. I just hope nothing spoils it; I'm definitely not interested in the villain of the week spoiling things."

"I should send out a press release. 'Stark-Rogers family night, anyone who dares to disturb us had better been ready to face our wrath'." He chuckled. "Or something."

He chuckled, grinning. "If that would stop them, I'd have you do it. In reality, though, it would probably just invite trouble."

"Unfortunately that's what would most likely happen," Tony agreed. Then he smiled. "You taste nice right now. Like your sandwich."

He gave him a look for a moment before laughing. "You're a dork," he said fondly.  "Why does tasting like a sandwich make me taste nice?"

"What?" Tony asked and laughed. "It's a good sandwich, I like sandwich-taste. Not that you don't taste nice without it too. You do." He shrugged and gave Steve a boyish smile.

"And you, sir, taste like coconut, metal, and intellect, which is unbelievably attractive."

"What does intellect taste like?" he asked, grinning. "The coconut comes from the arc reactor. Maybe that's why I have weird taste! Everything mixes with coconut in my mouth."

"That would definitely explain the weird taste.. hm, intellect tastes like a lot of things depending on what kind of smart you're being at the time. If you're being book-smart, it tastes fruity, but if you're being people-smart it tastes sweet.. I don't know, it doesn't really have a name." He shrugged.

"Wow, that actually sounds really cool. I should kiss myself sometime." He grinned. "What's the best taste? Let's see if I can recreate it."

"Well then I'd have to get jealous, because the only person allowed to kiss you is me. The best taste is when you're being an amazing father; can't get enough of that."

Tony's eyes softened and he reached out to take Steve's hand and squeeze it tenderly. "What about an amazing husband?" he asked softly.

"Those tend to go hand in hand," he said, rubbing Tony's thumb with his own.

Tony was feeling almost dizzy with affection for Steve. He expressed it in the best way he knew how. "I love you," he said, his throat a little tight.

"Love you more," he said, just as sincere and heartfelt.

Tony gazed into his eyes and lifted the hand in his to press his lips against the knuckles. "Let's go to bed?"

Steve smiled and nodded, then stood without letting go of Tony's hand. "Can't decide if I want to kiss you senseless or hold you close."

"How about both?" Tony smiled and happily let himself be pulled. "Or you can hold me really close now and leave the kissing-me-senseless for our plans tonight."

"I like the second idea," he said, fighting back a yawn. "All this stuff with Wade is leaving me reeling a bit."

"Okay, sweetie. Let's get some rest and a few snuggles while we're at it," Tony agreed with a soft smile. He'd been looking forward to their nap since they had made the plan to take one.

"Mm, good. I sleep best with you in my arms," he said with a smile as they made their way to their room.

Tony's smile brightened, almost with pride. "Me too," he replied quietly, grinning happily to himself.

"D'you ever think Pete's right, and we're too sappy for our own good? Not that I mind, but I'm positively love drunk on you sometimes."

Tony shook his head, although he had to admit he was somewhat glad when nobody was witnessing them sweet-talking each other. "Love drunk," Tony repeated giddily. "That's a pretty good expression for how I feel."

"Well good, at least we're both just as crazy for each other." He grinned, opening the door to their bedroom and pulling Tony in after him.

Once they were inside, Tony let go of Steve's hand to pull off his shirt. He wasn't quite sure if he had gotten any grease, or other stains on it this morning in the lab - his memory of when he was working was always a little spotty - so he took it off to be safe. Same with his jeans after he was done. He threw them in the vague direction of his dresser.

Steve tugged his jeans off, tossing them and actually managing to get them in the hamper, followed by his shirt. He crawled onto the bed, stretching out with a sigh. "C'mere, I need my Tones."

"I'm here," Tony replied with a grin and let himself drop down next to Steve, turning to hug his husband and get as close as possible. "Are you warm enough or should Jarvis..?" he asked Steve.

"Nah, a blanket should be fine," he said, tugging the covers over them both before turning back to snug up to Tony. "Unless you're cold, in which case it's fine."

"No, I have a supersoldier to keep me warm," Tony grinned and put his head down on Steve's shoulder. He tangled their legs together. "Mmh, perfect," he sighed.

Steve gave Tony a quick kiss atop the head, chuckling. "I see how it is, so I'm your personal space heater?"

"Among other things," Tony replied and grinned up at him. "Although the space heater thing is only a small part of why I keep you around."

"Glad to know it's one of my redeeming qualities," he teased. "Alrighty," he said, sighing contentedly. "Time to sleep. We'll need rest to deal with the boys."

Tony smiled and pressed a kiss to the side of Steve's neck, grinning mischievously. "Okay. Just one more question. You said you wouldn't let me kiss myself, but, hypothetically, if another me turned up somehow, would you consider a threesome with me and him?"

"I might consider it, as long as you'd still love me more than your copy..  Damn, never thought I'd discuss somethin' like this. Only with you, sweets." He chuckled, shaking his head, and closed his eyes. He shifted a bit to get comfortable, pulling Tony closer.

"I'll always love you more than anything else in the world," Tony whispered, closing his eyes slowly and with a soft smile on his lips. He wriggled one last time, getting into a position he wouldn't make him uncomfortable, even after several hours.

Steve was lulled to sleep shortly afterward by the sound of Tony's deep, rhythmic breathing, and slept contentedly from then on.

"Dads?" Peter whispered into the semi-darkness. A narrow ray of light from where he had opened the door illuminated the bed and Peter's heart warmed at the sight of Steve and Tony holding each other so tenderly and close while they were sleeping. Behind him, hovering in the doorway, Wade made a surprised sound. "Oh jeez, that's adorable."

Steve stirred at the sound of the boys in the doorway, and shifted just enough to look at them without waking Tony. "Hey, is it time for dinner already?" he asked softly, his voice slightly scratchy from sleep.

"Well, it's like seven," Peter whispered and shrugged. Steve or Tony usually called him for dinner, and when he had gotten no response to his text when they were leaving, he had decided to check up on them. "Sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping. We don't have to go out, you know. If you want to sleep some more, Wade and I can make ourselves something to eat."

"No, no, it's fine. You two go get ready and I'll wake the sleeping bear, alright?" He grinned, gesturing slightly toward Tony.

"Okay," Peter nodded, slowly backing off so they could close the door behind them.

Steve set to the slightly arduous task of waking Tony up, starting by moving so he could kiss at his neck. "Tony… time to get up," he murmured softly.

Tony grunted softly and tightened his arms around Steve, so he could pull him closer. "'m taking a nap," he mumbled, eyes stubbornly closed.

"I know, baby," he said with a chuckle. "It's time for dinner, though, and we'll get there a lot faster if you're awake."

Tony opened his eyes to look at Steve and gave him the most pitiful expression he could muster. "I don't want to get up," he said, conflicted. "But I want to take you out to dinner." He brought a hand up to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Mm, sounds like you have a tough decision then," he teased.

Eyes clear, Tony dropped his hand to Steve's shoulder and sighed. "I'll get up. In a minute." He stretched to steal a kiss. "How'd you sleep?"

Steve smiled. "Wonderfully, as usual. You?"

The corners of Tony's mouth twitched up into a satisfied smile. "Heavenly, and could've kept going until tomorrow, probably."

"Mm. Me too, but you know how I feel about you skipping meals. You need food, mister." He tapped Tony's nose, smirking

"Yes, darling," Tony quipped tamely. He looked around. "What time is it anyway?"

"Pete said it was around seven. By the way, the boys got a nice view of you drooling on my shoulder."

Tony groaned and buried his face in Steve's shoulder. "Great. Well, at least all the inappropriate bits are covered this time." He glanced down at the blanket. "Although it would've served them right." 

"Yeah, I'm not too sure that would have been good for either of them. Possibly mentally scarring." He disentangled himself from Tony, sitting up with a stretch and a satisfied groan.

Tony looked up at him with a grin and slid a hand over the well-defined muscles of Steve's lower back. "Can you toss me some pants when you get up? I can wear jeans, right? That Italian place isn't that fancy."

Steve leaned slightly into Tony's touch, smiling. "Yeah, and jeans are fine. S'what I'm wearing. What shirt do you want?" he asked, getting up and hunting around for a clean pair of jeans for them both.

"I think I feel like AC/DC today." He though for a moment. "Or! Is my Captain America shirt clean?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to get recognized and that shirt could lead people to conclusions. Your black and gold AC/DC is clean, though," he replied, pulling it off of the hanger and tossing it toward Tony. He then looked for a moment before finding a suitable shirt for himself. He then finally found them both jeans and tossed those in Tony's direction as well.

"Okay, thank you, sweetheart," Tony said and put on his shirt, before rolling and twisting on the bed to get his pants on without having to get up. "I'm dressed," he declared, after he succeeded. "Are we leaving right now? I'd like to brush my teeth, if we still have time."

"Nope, we've got some time," he said, chuckling slightly at Tony's laziness. "We're still waiting on Peter and Wade." He pulled his shirt over his head, having chosen a soft dark green, and stepped into his jeans afterward.

Tony rolled off the bed with a sigh, before straightening himself and making his way to the bathroom. When he passed Steve, he whistled. "I like your jeans, sexy."

Steve blushed, but had learned over time to deal with Tony's banter, even to return it. "I'm sure you'd like them better off, though."

Tony paused in the doorway to the bathroom and turned with a cocky smirk. "You know I would. Later though. I don't want to share you with the whole Italian restaurant."

"Yeah, I agree. That would be a bit awkward." He looked for their shoes next, while Tony was brushing his teeth, and pulled his on while he waited.

When Tony was done brushing his teeth he emerged from the bathroom scrubbing a towel over his newly washed face. "Should I call Happy to drive us?" he asked, while slipping into his shoes.

"Nah, we're capable of it and I don't want to keep him waiting while we eat."

Tony, done with his shoes, walked up to Steve to kiss him. "You're too nice. Happy's my friend, but he _is_ a professional driver. Driving me around is his job." Still, Tony was already choosing which car to take in his mind. Maybe he'd even let one of the boys drive.

"That may be true, but it's not like he won't get paid if he doesn't drive us tonight. Besides, a driver would be out of place at a little place like this."

"Alright, we'll drive ourselves," Tony conceded with a shrug. "Maybe Peter wants to drive. Or do you want to?"

"I'd like to. I still don't like the thought of him driving in the city. It's not that I doubt him.. it's just that I know New York drivers, and they're not exactly pleasant around those that are still learning."

"If he never drives, he'll never get more experienced," Tony reminded Steve and moved over to the bedroom door. He held it open for Steve. "Come on, honey. Let's find you a nice car and collect some kids on the way."

Steve nodded. "I know, I know.. I just don't trust everyone else on the road, that's all." He headed out, making sure to grab his phone and wallet on the way. "You pick us out a car, I'll get the boys and meet you down there?"

"Okay," Tony nodded, judging his cars in his mind for what Steve might like to drive today, which would also fit four people. He blew a kiss at Steve, before disappearing in direction of the elevators.

He made his way to Peter and Wade's hallway, knocking softly on each door. "Boys, are you two ready?"

"In here!" Peter answered the knock, getting up from where he and Wade had been lounging in the beanbags, since they had already been pretty much ready to go to begin with. "Is Dad up?

 "Up and finding us a car, and we'll be meeting him down there."

Peter glanced at the clock. "Impressive," he commented. Tony was usually a huge pain in the ass when it came to getting him out of bed. Wade trailed after Peter out the door, nodding at Steve when he passed him. "Sorry about before."

 "It's fine, we should've been up anyways." He shrugged, and they made their way to the garage. "So, were you two just playing games all day?"

Wade nodded, but still felt a little uneasy. With Peter being their son, he figured it was okay, but he had no business coming into their private space uninvited. "Pretty much. And we ordered some pizza for lunch," Peter answered him and Wade smiled a little at the mention. He'd had a lot of fun.

 "Good, I was hoping you'd rustle up some food somehow. I'm glad you two entertained yourselves, as well." Steve saw the conflict flit across Wade's face, but he was unsure how to address it, so he let it be for the time being.

"You two must've really been tired," Peter pointed out. "If you slept till seven. Did you go to bed that late? Although, feel free not to tell me anything, if there's even the slightest chance of trauma for me."

 "Yeah, we must have. I think we turned in around two, but I didn't think we were that tired." He gave Peter a bit of a look for his last comment. "D'you really think I'd talk about that? You must have me confused with your father."

"I'm always on guard, in case he starts rubbing off on you," Peter explained, then made a face. "In the figurative sense. Ugh. Why, brain?!" Wade next to him brought a hand up to hide his amused chuckle. 

 "Uh, wow, yeah, awkward," he said with a slightly strained chuckle. "You should try not to think about that, for sure."

"On the bright side, at least he isn't growing up sexually repressed," Wade said quietly and with a mirthful grin to Steve. "Who's sexually repressed?" Tony repeated curiously, waiting for the three at the end of the hall, keys to his Audi A8 in hand.

 Steve tried to look reproachful, but failed as he also tried not to laugh. "No one, Tony, now let's get in and never speak of this again, yeah? Yeah." He breezed past Tony and took the keys from Tony's outstretched hand, quickly getting in and buckled.

Tony called shotgun, and walked around the car to get in, while the boys fit themselves in the back seat. "Do you know the way?" he asked Steve, hand halfway to the controls to activate the navigation system if necessary.

 "Nah, I've got it." He started the car and pulled out of the garage. "You could put some music on, though. _Quiet_ music."

Tony sent a pouting look in Steve's direction. "Fine," he said and just switched the radio on. He was unfamiliar with most current pop music, so he just settled on one of the popular stations. "Okay?"

 "Fine by me," he replied with a shrug. "So, Tony, what were you working on in the lab today besides the uniforms?"

"Well, I already showed you the hook," Tony said and thought for a moment, trying to remember his thought process. "And I updated some of Butterfinger's code, and then Dummy got jealous, so I greased his joints to pacify him. That's pretty much it, I was only down there for a couple hours after all. Someone thought I needed to eat lunch." He smiled at Steve and moved a hand to lay softly on his thigh.

 "That's because you _do_ ," he argued, though they'd had this argument many times before. "If you'd forgotten, humans need sustenance to survive."

"I know, honey," Tony said reassuringly, not feeling up for their usual discussion. Anyway, he liked it when Steve took care of him. "What did the humans on the backseat do to provide sustenance today?" he asked and looked at Wade and Peter in the rear view mirror.

Peter looked up, having stopped listening, but realized they had talked to him after just a moment. "Uh, what? Oh, we had pizza. Sustenance at its basest form, but sustenance just the same."

"Mmh, pizza," Tony mumbled, already turning his attention back on the road. He enjoyed riding shotgun when Steve was behind the wheel, because he liked casually resting his hand on Steve's leg, and just looking outside, watching the city rush by. "What're you gonna get?" he asked, no one in particular.

Steve covered Tony's hand with his own, squeezing gently. "I'll probably have somethin' with alfredo." Peter went next. "Loads and loads of garlic bread," he said, and looked over to Wade, who shrugged, and said "I dunno, what's good there?"

Tony glanced over at Steve, smiling softly. "I'd say pizza, but you already had that today," he replied to Wade. "They have a good risotto. With mushrooms, I think, if you like that?"

"That sounds nice," he answered, considering it. "I'll give it a shot."

"Do consider though," Tony said and raised an eyebrow at him through the mirror. "That according to Peter, I have weird taste." Peter rolled his eyes. "The risotto is good, right, Pop? You've had it before."

Steve chuckled. "You do like weird things, sweets. Not my fault. The risotto, however, is completely normal, nothing to worry about. Quite good."

"I'll eat it, if you don't like it, Wade, and you can have my garlic bread," Peter offered and Tony added, "Or he can just order something else. We'll take the risotto home, no problem, one way or another, the fridge always empties quickly."

"I can see how. Before last night, I'd never seen that much pasta in one place," he said with a small chuckle. "That's fine, works for me."

"You should have dinner with us when Thor is around," Tony chuckled. "He takes it to a whole new level. But even so, we always need an extra lot when Steve makes pasta. It makes even me want to stuff myself until I burst." He glanced out the window, noticing that they were almost there.

"Yeah, it's hard to admit you're full when Pops cooks," Peter said with a grin. "I'm interested to see how much you'd need for Thor, though," Wade replied.

"A lot," Tony just said. That guy could really eat, and never tired of 'Midgardian' cuisine. "Well, if you hang around for a bit, you can see for yourself. He usually pops in every once in a while."

"How exactly does he 'pop in'? I thought the whole bridge thingy was broken?"

"I'm not even going to ask how you heard about that bit of classified information," Tony said and raised an eyebrow at Peter, suspecting he had told him, "But I think his father works some magic, like he did when Thor first came after Loki. I don't know the specifics. Thor isn't very good at giving scientific explanations."

Wade smirked a bit. "Classified doesn't generally mean much to me. It wasn't Peter, though."

"Well, that's a small comfort, at the very least. I was a little worried we'd have to turn Peter in to SHIELD for breaking his contracts ," Tony joked. Peter looked scandalized. "Dad!"

Steve played along with a mischievous grin. "Now, Tony, we wouldn't do that.. probably."

"I don't know..." Tony mused. "Might be a good lesson." He quirked a brow. "Wade, do you go over SHIELD for information, or is there a security problem with my own systems I should be aware of?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets, nor shall I." He smirked.

"Fair enough," Tony said and shrugged. He wouldn't put it past himself to have given Wade clearance himself after he had been particularly annoying about his entrance codes supposedly not working properly. Or the problem lay with SHIELD, in which case it wasn't his problem.


	9. Chapter 9

"Here we are," Steve said after a moment, pulling up to park near a small place with 'DiNozzo's' scrawled across the front window in a curly cursive script.

"Alright!" Tony cheered and rubbed his hands together. In the back, the boys were already exiting the car, so he hung back with Steve for a second. "I forget that he's somewhat in our line of work sometimes," he told Steve, before unbuckling as well.

"Yeah, he's rather good at hiding it," he answered, following suit. "I haven't heard much mention of him lately, though. Maybe he's taken a hiatus?"

Tony's expression darkened a little at the thought, remembering how Wade had flinched at his touch, as brief and friendly as it had been. "Let's just hope it's a hiatus of choice, not need."  He looked to where Wade and Peter were standing, exchanging words to low to hear for him from this distance, smiling, but never losing the tension in his posture.

"Hopefully.. let's head inside," he said with a slight sigh. "At least he's warming up to Pete a bit."

"Yeah. I'm glad," Tony agreed. "For both of them. Peter missed him a lot." He shifted his hand into Steve's before walking to catch up with them.

"I agree, they seem to both be better for it." Steve swung their hands between them a bit as they headed inside, and they were seated shortly after that.

"Ah, I remember why I like this place so much, beside the food," Tony sighed, spreading his napkin over his thighs. The atmosphere was warm and homely, and they had been sat in a lovely, slightly secluded spot. As often as they had eaten here, he doubted that the staff hadn't recognized them at some point. Even so, they had never mentioned it and Tony was glad for their discretion.

"It's all really inviting," he agreed. "And they treat us so nicely," Peter piped up as menus were distributed. "Wade, you can take a look through that if you like."

Wade opened the menu to find the risotto he had been recommended. "I'm going to order some bruschetta for all of us, while we wait, or would you like something else?" Tony asked Steve, while the waitress gave them a moment to look through the menu.

"Fine by me," he said with a shrug, looking through the various options with alfredo.

Tony leaned over, looking at Steve's menu, having already decided on his pizza. Wade scanned the various options with gusto. It had been a while since he had something really nice to eat, not counting the pasta the day before, and the Stark-Rogers always went to such good places.

"Mm, this fettuccini looks good," Steve commented absently. "But so does the bowtie dish.. hm." Peter didn't have to look at the menu. "Garlic bread, and lots of it. Maybe some cheese."

"I'll give you some of my pizza," Tony suggested, "If you give me some of your fettuccini. Okay?" He saw the waitress hovering unobtrusively in the background, waiting for a signal.

"Deal," he answered, looking to the waitress with a grin. "I'll have the fettuccini alfredo, miss."

Peter repeated his order, a little more specific, and Wade asked for the risotto. "Can we have the bruschetta as an appetizer, and I'll have the pizza speciale, and can you put pineapple on top? Thank you." He handed her the menus.

Steve pulled a face. "I still don't get how you like pineapple with pizza. That's gross."

Peter shared a look with Wade that seemed to say 'See? Weird.' Tony just shrugged and grinned secretively at Steve. "I goes well with coconut."

Steve blushed, and muttered back at Tony in hushed tones. "Tony! Not here, especially not in front of the boys!"

"What? That was completely non-sexual. I didn't mean anything by it," he said, defending himself, then added quieter, "I'll pick the pineapple off your slices."

"Fine.." he said, still red as a tomato. "I don't believe you, though."

Tony glanced over the table, glad to see that Wade and Peter didn't seem to be particularly interested in listening to them. "Really, Steve," he said earnestly. "We had this conversation at lunch, remember? I'm just trying to explain why pineapple on my pizza might taste good to me."

"Oh.. sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "I guess I'm just used to everything being a reference with you."

"Mmh, it's fine," Tony hummed, and leaned over give Steve a quick peck. "I can't blame you. I bet I even _could_ think of a reference, if I wanted to."

"No, no," he said, smiling brighter. "Our evening is fine, no references needed."

"Suit yourself," Tony replied with a wide grin. "So, Peter, what did you guys do all day?"

He shrugged. "We played video games, I kicked Wade's ass, we ate pizza, we played more video games, and then we came to wake you up."

"Oh yeah, thanks for that, by the way," Tony joked, sarcastically, "I was having a nice dream."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dad, because I live to destroy your dreams. That was definitely my intent," he answered, just as sarcastic.

"That's okay. Keep destroying my dreams. See who builds you a new computer next time though, because it won't be me." Tony looked over at Wade, pointing at thumb in Peter's direction and shaking his head slowly. "By the way, I can't believe you let him beat you at _video games_."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" he teased. Wade chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm just letting him think he kicked my ass."

Tony pretended to be offended. "My own child, turning against me. Are you hearing this, Steve? Let's get rid of this one, and keep Wade instead."

"Dad, last time you 'built me a computer', it was a transformer. An _actual_ transformer. I had nightmares about the objects around me trying to kill me for days."

"What, I though you _liked_ the transformers. Excuse me for trying to build you something cool," Tony bantered lightly. "Wade, would you like a transformer computer? It works, and everything."

"I liked the transformers before I had one. Cool, yes, but scary as hell." Wade shrugged when asked. "Depends, is it going to try to kill me?"

Tony swayed his head from side to side contemplatively. "Well, it doesn't have any firepower, but it could try to hit you, I guess," he admitted finally.

"I'm not sure if that's reassuring or not…" he said, dubious.

"I built it for Peter to have fun with it when he was like, twelve, at most. It's not really a threat." Tony threw his hands in the air. "What do you guys take me for? I don't give stuff to my son that might kill him!"

Steve and Peter gave him matching looks, and both said "Armored bike?" at the same time.

"It was to kill _others_ with, not himself!" Tony defended himself, although handing that kind of weapon to a ten year old was a bit of a mistake, in retrospect.

"Tones, why would a kid that young need to kill people?"

 "Natasha might- Never mind." Tony sighed, defeated. "Okay, you win. I make dumb decisions when I'm trying to impress people."

Peter grinned knowingly. "You don't have to make me stuff to impress me. Promise."

Tony smiled, touched. "I know, buddy, but I like to make stuff for you. Actually, now that you mention it, I've been thinking about designing on a camera. You still take pictures, don't you?" 

 "I know you do, and I love everything you make me, no matter how dangerous." He thought for a moment. "I do, but I'm sort of attached to my current camera. What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking I could do 60 megapixels, no problem, with a bit of tinkering. It's not actually a proper plan yet, I just had some ideas," Tony explained, pulling a pen out of his pocket and starting to absently sketch the schematics on a napkin.

"Damn, 60 sounds nice." He let out a low whistle. "What about size? Will it be too much bigger than what I have now?"

"Show me the one you're using right now and I'll do what I can," Tony promised. "You too, Wade, if you want one." He furrowed his brows. "Are you into photography?"

"I've got it now, if you wanted to look it over while we wait," he said with a shrug. Wade looked up in slight surprise; "Um.. I don't know, haven't really tried it much.. but.. why would you want to do that?"

"Sure, hand it over," Tony said and extended his hand for it. He looked at Wade, puzzled. "Why would I do what?"

"Careful with the lens, the mount is kind of wobbly." Peter pulled it out carefully, then handed it to Tony. Wade looked down with a shrug. "I dunno. Any of this."

Tony took the camera. "Look, I like you, Wade, you're a good kid. I don't know very many ways to express when I like someone, so just let me build you some stuff, and we're good," he said.

"Alright.." he said, though he was still a bit confused. He was grateful for them deciding to be so kind to him, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of ulterior motive to it all. Maybe they were just humoring him for Peter's benefit? Before, he never would have thought anything like that about the Stark-Rogers family, but.. that was before, and now, he's realized just how much it hurts, figuratively and literally, when someone throws trust back in your face.

Tony weighed the camera in his hand. "Are you sure you're attached to this one, Pete? It's, like, a strong breath of wind away from falling apart. Does it even take pictures?" He pulled it in front of his face and pressed the release and the camera went off with a flash.

Pete shook his head, trying to blink the flash out of his eyes. " _Yes_ , Dad, did you really have to try to take one? Wade and I are now both blind, thanks."

Tony made an apologetic face. "Sorry boys," he said, but his eyes were fixed on the camera screen. "Hey, this is actually a really nice picture." He leaned over to show the screen to Steve. Peter looked slightly offended at what Tony had said about his camera, but in a way that made him look cute, scrunched up nose and fiery eyes and everything, and Wade was looking at him, head slightly turned, with an openly tender expression on his face.

Steve looked it over with a grin. "Aw, that's sweet. You two are adorable."

"We'll print this," Tony decided, "And hang it up somewhere. Maybe your new bedroom, Wade."

Peter groaned. "Seriously, you choose now to be the stereotypical embarrassing parents?" Wade nodded slightly, and smiled a bit. "I'd like that."

"What, _this_ embarrasses you?" Tony asked incredulous. "I didn't know it takes so little! I thought we'd have to start making out in front of you, or something. This is good to know, for future reference." Tony handed Wade the camera, so he could take a look as well.

"Parents talking about how 'cute' their teenage child is would tend to embarrass anyone," he said with a sigh. "You're going to be awful now, aren't you?" Wade took it and studied the picture with a smile. "He has a point, though," he told Peter quietly, showing him the snapshot.

"Aren't we always?" Tony asked rhetorically, sliding a hand into Steve's. "What do you think, Peter? Print? Not print?"

Peter thought for a moment. The picture _was_ kind of nice, and he couldn't deny that he liked the way they both looked. "Fine," he relented. "Go ahead and print it, but I want a copy too."

"Sure," Tony said and grinned. "May I remind you that this is your camera, though? Unless you want to hand over the memory card to me, you'll be handling the printing."

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that. Two copies, then, I'll take care of it. If I give you my memory card, who knows what it will come back as."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Seriously? It's a memory card, even I couldn't come up with something to do with it." He narrowed his eyes and turned over his scribbled-on napkin. "Although..." He began sketching again.

"Yeah, exactly," he said with a chuckled. "Mm.. when will our food get here? I'm staaaaarving." "Positively ravenous," Wade piped up.

Tony waved at a waitress that was walking by their table. "We ordered an appetizer?" he reminded her and she smiled pleasantly. "Just a moment," she said, making her way over to the kitchen, returning after a moment with their bruschetta.

"Sweet!" the boys chorused, each taking a piece and digging in. Steve followed, not quite as over-enthusiastic, and took a piece for himself.

"Pretty good," Tony judged, after taking a bite, and watched Peter and Wade with amusement. "I thought you two had pizza today? How are you this hungry?"

Peter shrugged, barely finishing his bite before he spoke. "We're teenage boys. See food, eat food, repeat."

Tony laughed at that. "Well, I guess that's true, if you put it like that. Just be careful, if you keep eating like that in ten years, you won't stay as slim as you are now. I'm speaking from experience."

Steve looked over to Tony. "You'd be beautiful no matter what you ate, doll."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Tony said and leaned over for a kiss. "But I'll let you reconsider that when I'm old, flabby and walk crooked over a cane."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "As long as you grow old with me, I won't care how you look." He kissed Tony, short and sweet and full of heart.

"That's the plan," Tony said, soft smile on his face. On the other side of the table, Peter coughed "Dads, can you get all lovey-dovey some other time, preferably when I'm not trying to eat?"

Steve smirked. "Oh? And when would you like us to do it? Did you have a better time in mind?"

"Any time I'm not around would work for me," Peter replied and stuffed another piece of bread in his mouth. "You enjoy traumatizing me, don't you?"

"Yes. Quite a lot, actually. He actually considered putting together a highlight reel of the footage Jarvis caught," he said, with a gesture toward Tony.

"Hey!" Tony complained with a grin. "You weren't supposed to tell him that, what am I going to give him for his birthday now? Jarvis was already working on it and all."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it just the same. Besides, he doesn't know what all we plan on including," he said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"You can't be serious," Peter buried his face in his hands and muttered against his palms. Wade was trying to keep a straight face next to him to try and hide his amusement. "Really? I'd love to take a look at that, if you'll let me."

"We're all kinds of serious, Bambi." He chuckled. "We might even play it at the party, and Wade, you're more than welcome to see it once it's put together."

"I'm a teenager, you two are not invited to my birthday party!" Peter objected, looking up again, and to Wade. "You're encouraging this?"

"Bud, we're paying for it. Of course we're invited." Wade sniggered, barely holding back a full-on laugh. "Oh, I am most definitely encouraging this."

Peter looked around the table for _someone_ on his side desperately, but in vain. "You guys are evil," he said, crossing his arms. "You know what? It's still a while until my birthday. Knowing Dad, he'll get distracted and forget about it anyway."

Steve shook his head. "He's set more reminders for this than he does for our anniversary. You're stuck, Petey. And yes, we're the best kind of evil."

"Wait until your birthdays," Peter threatened, pointing at each of them. "I'll come up with something."

"Like what?" he challenged.

"You know what? I'll even come up with something for my own birthday. You know who might be happy to come to my party if I extended an invitation to him? Reed Richards." Peter smirked, well aware of how much the physicist annoyed Tony.

"Peter.." he warned, frowning a bit. "That could quite honestly cause structural damage that your aunt Pep would not be pleased with."

"Then don't embarrass me on my _birthday_ , please?" Peter asked. "Or ever, really, but especially on my birthday."

"… we'll consider it. Maybe."

Peter inclined his head. "Thank you." Just as Tony reached for the last piece of their appetizer, the waitress came to their table and brought with her Steve and Peter's food.

Steve grinned and unwrapped his silverware, then spread the napkin out on his lap. "Thank you, miss," he said to the waitress. "Looks great."  Peter nodded in agreement, eyeing his food like a starving man. "Wade, d'you want some of mine since yours isn't here yet?"

Wade shook his head with a smile. "No, it's okay, I'm giving you a head start," he said, but eyed Peter's plate hungrily. "That looks amazing."

"Are you sure you don't want any? I've got plenty, more than enough to share," he replied, nudging the plate a bit closer.

Wade sighed deeply. "I guess I could have one bite?" he said, grin tugging on his lips.

"Or you could have one piece?" He picked up a piece, then dropped it. "Oh shit, that's hot!" he hissed. "Okay, uh, maybe you should wait a minute," he said with a chuckle.

Wade frowned and reflexively reached out for Peter's hand, gripping his wrist, before his brain caught up with him and he quickly let go. "Yeah," he agreed hollowly, in thought. He didn't feel... threatened, like he felt when other people got too close to him. Touching Peter seemed to be okay. He smiled warmly at him.

Peter smiled back, absently rubbing at the spot Wade had held. "I'm fine, didn't burn me. It was just really effin' hot for a sec there."

The waitress came by again to bring Tony's and Wade's food and Wade stared down at the huge plate of rice that looked delicious and smelled _heavenly_. "Yum."

"Mm, that looks good.. I think I'll wait for it to cool, though," he said, hungry but wary. Steve nudged Tony, grinning over at him. "Look at how sweet those two are being, it's adorable," he murmured, not loud enough for anyone but his husband to hear.

 Tony glanced over at them, then back to Steve and grinned. "Almost back to how they were before Wade disappeared, I'm glad."

"Hopefully the rest of the Wade we knew follows suit. I don't know if I could bear it if I saw him flinch again like he did at dinner last night.. the boy had some heavy shadows in his eyes, Tones."

Tony nodded, his expression lightening somewhat. "Nothing to drive out old shadows like love," he said quietly, watching the two boys interact. "It worked for me."

Steve gave him a shy smile. "D'you think that's where they're headed?"

Tony gave a small shrug. "Who knows?" He watched them move around pieces of their food between their plates. "I was worried that's where they were headed a few months ago. Worried, because they were just dumb kids, fooling around. I'm not so sure anymore now."

"I'm not really all that worried either. They're both smart kids, and they know not to make idiot decisions. Peter will help Wade get back to normal, and I think doing that will probably show us a different side of Peter.. and, at least neither of them will get knocked up," he pointed out with a smirk.

"It's something," Tony chuckled. "I think I'm going to work on a new safe-sex talk anyway. It's been a while since I sat them both down to embarrass them."

"Oh, can I play the outdated 40's dad again? That's always fun."

"Sure, excellent idea, honey," Tony said with a smile and nodded approvingly. He picked up his fork to start on his pizza, before shrugging and dropping it again, picking up a slice with his hand.

Steve twirled some pasta around his fork, taking the bite with a groan. "Mm.. my pasta may be good, but it will never be this good."

"Now you're just being modest," Tony objected. "But I'm glad you like it." He leaned over, mouth open. "Lemme try."

"No, seriously, this is heavenly." He twirled up another bite, feeding it to Tony carefully. "See? Amazing."

Tony closed his eyes and groaned. "That _is_ pretty good." He dropped the pizza slice in his hand back onto his plate, untouched and pretty much forgotten.

Steve chuckled. "I've got enough to share, if you'd rather have this."

"Let me try my pizza first," he said and took a bite. Then he gave a distressed sigh. "It's also good. What do I do?"

"Half and half?" he suggested, thoroughly amused by Tony's indecision.

Tony gave him a thankful smile. "I love you. Have I told you that recently?"

"Love you too," he replied with a matching grin. "I'm pretty sure you've told me recently, but I like hearing it just the same."

Tony smiled and started picking of the pineapple of one half of his pizza with his fork, pushing it over to the other half. "Try one slice first, sweetie, before you surrender half your meal to me."

 Steve picked up the pineapple-free slice and took a quick bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Mm.. They're both great. Half and half would be your best bet."

 "Okay, good, just making sure, because it would be unfair if you gave me some of your pasta, and you'd have to eat the pizza if you don't like it," Tony explained and picked up another slice for himself. "How's the food, boys?" he asked Peter and Wade.

"That makes sense," he replied, twirling another forkful of pasta. Peter gave Tony a thumbs-up with his free hand, taking another bite of his bread. Wade chuckled, grinning at Peter's manners (or lack thereof). "I don't know yet, hasn't quite cooled down. Peter's bread is great, though," he said, taking another small bite of the piece Peter had shared with him.

Tony grinned at Peter, glad that he seemed happy. "It can't be that hot," he said, trying to decide if he'd rather sneak some pasta from Steve's plate first, or eat more of his pizza.

"Yeah, it's probably cooled off by now.." He took a cautious bite, blowing on it first for good measure. "Mm.. great!" he said, once he'd finished.

"Told you," Tony grinned, sticking his fork into Steve's pasta, easily dodging Steve's arm - it wasn't the first time he shared a meal with Steve, after all.

Steve chuckled, playfully nudging Tony's arm and snagging another piece of pizza. Peter actually spoke without food in his mouth for once; "Hey, Wade, you should let me try that in a bit. I've actually never had it."

"If you can keep from putting garlic bread in your mouth long enough to push a fork in, sure," Wade said, just before taking a bite himself and grinning at Peter. He nudged his plate in Peter's direction.

"Oh come on, this stuff is great! You said so yourself!" he protested, but took a bite nonetheless. "Hm.. not my favorite, but as always, it's fantastic." He looked to Tony, feigning a 'little rich kid' attitude. "Father, I'll need you to hire tonight's cook as our new personal chef," he said, and turned his nose up, trying not to laugh.

Tony almost spat out his pizza laughing. "I'll have his things moved to the mansion tomorrow, shall I?" he replied, grinning. "Would you care for the waitress as well?"

He shrugged, barely keeping up the act. "I don't know.. she's not really my type, but we _do_ need a new maid."

Tony haughtily inclined his head. "Should we hold a casting? Any preferences? Age, qualifications, gender, skirt length?" He raised an eyebrow at Steve. He was so hiring a cleaning lady in the next few days. If Steve wanted to clean, fine, but their place was _huge_ and he should have a helping hand at least.

Steve chuckled, smiling at them fondly as he shook his head. "You two are dorks," he said, but it mostly went unheard as Peter 'contemplated' the criteria. "Male, my age.. as for the skirt, well, that's up to them, whatever floats their boat."

Tony's eyes widened in fake revelation and he grinned widely. "I think I have just the right person in mind!" He turned a little, voice getting serious. "Wade, what are your thoughts on wearing skirts?"

Wade had been watching the whole time, trying not to laugh himself, so he didn't take offense to being compared to a maid. "Well, that depends.. will there be ruffles?"

"Yet to be determined," Tony replied, enjoying himself immensely, and turned to Peter. "Son, ruffles. Yes or no?"

He thought for a moment, before nodding resolutely. "Yep. Ruffles. Definitely."

Tony looked back at Wade. "You heard him. Yes definitely to ruffles." He put a hand on Steve's knee to get his attention. "What do you think, honey, since you're the one running this household?"

He smirked. "I think if you're going to go for ruffles, why not go all out and get a fluffy hat as well?"

"Why would a maid wear a fluffy hat?" Tony asked, imagining one of those huge, furry monstrosities that looked like you had shot a small animal and wrapped it around your head. He made a face.  

"Not like that, silly. I mean one of those little pillbox hats with the tulle and fishnet?"

"Ooh!" Tony exclaimed, nodding excitedly in approval. "And fishnet stockings to go with it!" His hand picked up his pan again and he started designing the outfit in his head. "I should quit engineering and try my hand at fashion design, don't you think, sweetie? You could be my muse."

"As long as I don't have to model, you can do whatever you like, dollface." He chuckled, taking another bite of Tony's pizza.

"Only in private," Tony grinned, focus shifting from the dress to Steve. "I would not like it if you walked around in fishnets in front of anyone other than me."

"Mm, but I love it so much when you get all jealous and riled up, though."

Wade's eyebrows rose slowly and he looked over at Peter, who rolled his eyes. "Ahem," he cleared his throat loudly. "Again, this is a public restaurant, where you're having a family dinner."

Steve blushed, looking down with a sheepish grin. "Tony's fault."

"Whatever," Peter replied, turning back to his food. Wade leaned into him a little. "How are you not completely traumatized by now? I think I know more about your parents' sex life than about my own," he whispered.

Peter scoffed. "Yeah, and so does the rest of the team and anyone that happens to come over. Ever. The only reason I've escaped mental trauma is the fact that they do this all the time," he said pointedly, directing the last part to Steve and Tony.

Tony just smiled innocently, cheeks full of pasta. When he had swallowed, he said, "You're just jealous because you're not getting any."

He sighed. "One, you're incorrigible. Two, no way in hell am I discussing my sex life with you."

Tony shrugged. "I'm not asking you to. Actually, I'm not interested in anyone's sex life but Steve's." He reached over the table. "Can I try some of that garlic bread?"

"Great, well, keep it to yourself," he said, handing him a piece of bread. "You're already bad enough at closing doors, we don't need to hear anything else."

"Thanks," Tony said, and then looked impressed when he tried the bread. "Have some, honey, this is good!"

Peter handed Steve a piece, which he took gratefully. "Well, everything here tends to be good. I haven't had anything yet that isn't."

"I'm beginning to think we _should_ hire the chef here," Tony agreed and smiled. "There's one thing they make here that you don't like."

"Oh, what's that?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Pizza with pineapple," Tony grinned, taking a appreciative bite off his pizza.

He scowled a bit in distaste. "Doesn't count, it's not on the menu."

Tony sighed. "Alright, that's true. Then it's official. They have nothing that isn't good here. And we were worried about what Wade should order. Clearly, there is nothing that he shouldn't order."

"That's true, but he'd have had a damn hard time choosing," he pointed out.

"No problem, we'll just have to come eat here again soon, until we've tried everything," Tony replied. He was almost done with his half of the pizza, alternating between finishing the garlic bread he had gotten from Peter and sneaking pasta from Steve's plate. "When I'm done eating, someone please carry me to the car."

"Even if we each got something different and shared, we'd have to come here at least twenty times. They'd certainly get tired of us by then." Steve took another pineapple-free slice, piling some noodles on top and eating them together.

Tony glanced at Steve out of the corner of his eyes and pulled a face. "And you're calling _my_ eating habits weird?" he asked, shaking his head at the pasta-pizza. "Although that looks pretty tasty." He started assembling his own piece. "We don't have to come here twenty days in a row. I'm just saying, we'll just come every once in a while until we're through the menu."

"Let's just agree that we're both weird, yeah? However, this tastes much better than your pineapple gross-ness." He took another bite with a grin. "I s'pose we could.. it's not like we'd ever get tired of eating here."

Tony stuck his tongue out at him. "Birds of a feather flock together," he said with a shrug and Wade listened up. "People who appreciate each others' weirdness," he mumbled, reminded of Peter's and his conversation earlier.

Steve nodded to Wade. "Yeah, definitely. If I hadn't learned to love his weirdness, we wouldn't have lasted near as long as we have," he teased.

Tony sent a pout in Steve's direction. "Actually, Steve's weirdness is one of the things I love most about him," he said, biting into his very own piece of pasta-pizza. 

 "I love your quirks, Tony. You know that." He nudged Tony's shoulder, smiling at him fondly.

"I know, honey," Tony mumbled, mouth full and leaned over for a kiss.

 Steve met him on the middle, grinning. Peter groaned. "Seriously, you two are a walking hallmark card."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Tony grinned and pointed his fork at his son. "And you don't have to be jealous, Petey, I love your quirks too."

 "Hey, _I'm_ perfectly normal," he protested.

"Of course you are," Tony said sarcastically. "Of all the people in the world, you're the one person that doesn't have even a single quirk."

 "Alrighty, what makes me weird?" he asked, his tone challenging.

Tony gave him a look. "You insist on using a camera that's about to fall apart, for one."

 "That's because it's set up and modified just the way I like it." He crossed his arms, slightly defensive.

Tony shook his head with a fond smile. "It's clingy, is what it is. You're not even twenty yet and you're already getting nostalgic about your stuff. It's cute."

"Is not.. what's wrong with knowing what I like and sticking to it? Y'know, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Tony said, although he was constantly fixing things, broken or not. "But you could be a little more open towards new stuff? If you don't ever try anything new, you'll never find out if you might have liked it even better than what you're sticking to right now."

 "Yeah, but what if it isn't better? Then I'll be stuck with something I don't like."

"Trying something else doesn't mean you have to get rid of what you had before. If you don't like it," Tony shrugged. "Toss it and go back."

 "I guess.. but isn't that kinda wasteful?" he asked, and Steve grinned a bit, glad his son had ended up with at least some of his values.

"You already never waste anything, but if it bothers you so much, just donate it somewhere," Tony pointed out and Wade nodded in agreement, "You're crazy that way."

 "It isn't crazy, just conscious of resources... Fine, I suppose that makes sense," he relented.

"I don't mean crazy in a bad way," Wade said and smiled tentatively. He actually.. kind of liked it. It was probably the cutest thing on the planet.

"I didn't figure you did," he replied, giving him an easy grin back.

"Okay," Wade said back softly. "I just didn't want you to misunderstand. I like your kind of crazy." Tony elbowed Steve in the ribs lightly and grinned at him meaningfully.

Steve nudged him back, matching his smile but not saying anything so as not to startle the boys. Peter ducked his head slightly, a shy smile on his face. "Well good, because I probably won't be changing anytime soon."

"I would hope not," Wade replied quietly, pushing the remaining food on his plate around with his fork.

"I like your crazy too, y'know. Like the way you can't walk on wood floors without socks on? The only way to describe that is totally, entirely Wade." Peter smiled bigger, glad that Wade seemed to be opening up a bit better, and definitely talking more.

"Well, what about splinters?" Wade explained, gesticulating with his fork. "And you feel every little crack, you never get an even number of cracks between your feet. And it's wood. It's not supposed to be walked on barefoot." He glanced down with a smile. "But thank you."

"I know, I know, you have your reasons, and I'm certainly not about to argue them with you."

"You don't walk barefoot on wood?" Tony couldn't help but ask, a little bewildered. "Maybe you should go see someone about that, that _is_ a little odd."

"Tony," Steve scolded lightly. "It's perfectly fine, don't be mean to him."

"I'm not being mean," Tony said, turning to Wade. "Am I being mean?"

Wade floundered a bit; how exactly was he supposed to respond to that? Thankfully, though, Peter stepped up. "No, not really, but the point of this whole discussion was that everyone has their own quirks, and it's not very nice of you to call Wade's weird."

"Alright, okay. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Wade. I'm sorry." He sent a questioning look to Steve, checking if he was satisfied with his apology. "Also, not walking barefoot on wood is completely fine. Totally normal."

Steve nodded silently, proudly, as he took another bite of his food. Wade smiled slightly, a bit awkward. "I, uh.. thanks, I think."

"No problem," Tony replied, rather proud of himself. "I think my stomach is about to burst, but anyone else feel like desert after this?"

Peter and Wade bore matching grimaces at the thought of more food, and Steve looked over at him incredulously. "How on earth do you have room, Tones?"

Tony shrugged. "I don't, I'm just hoping that by the time we get the desert, either I have digested some of the old stuff, or puked a little."

"… well, that's gross. I think we can do without dessert, don't you?"

"I thought you kids would back me up for sure, but okay. No dessert. It's probably better that way anyway."

"Well.. Dessert can be like, a finale of a good meal, right? Well this meal was so good it doesn't need one," Peter said with a  shrug.

"Okay, if you put it like that," Tony nodded, leaning back in his seat resting his hands on his full belly. "Steve, I think you'll have to carry me out anyway."

Steve chuckled, nodding. "Alright, if you insist. I think we should probably get the check first, though."

"Alright," Tony agreed, fishing for his wallet. "That reminds me, Peter, whose money did you pay for your pizza with? If it was yours, remember to write down what you paid, so I can add it to your allowance."

"It was mine, but it really isn't that big of a deal." He shrugged, starting to put his camera back in its case. "My allowance is astronomical and I rarely use it all… really, where did you two come up with that number?"

"If I remember correctly, it went something like: 'Honey, I think Peter should have some money.' - 'Okay, I'll give him one of my credit cards.' - 'What, no, he needs to learn how to handle money responsibly,' and then I said 'What for?' and Steve got kinda mad at me, so between access to millions, and, like, 20 dollars, we met somewhere in the middle."

"… Alrighty then. Dad, thank you, and Pops, rest assured that I know the value of money. I worked for this baby, didn't I?" he asked, pointing to his camera which hadn't been cheap.

"Obviously you know how to deal with money, look who your father is," Tony grinned. "In case it isn't clear, I'm talking about Steve."

"I gathered," he said, laughing, and then looked over to Wade. "D'you want to go wait in the car while those two sort out the check?"

Wade shrugged. "Okay," he replied. He didn't actually mind waiting with Peter's parents. As usual, their antics amused him to no end. He started to get up from his seat.

"We don't have two if you don't want to, I just wanted to give you the option." He shrugged.

"No, I'm fine with either," Wade said quickly, awkwardly standing next to their table. "Uh, you meant wait in the car together, right, not me alone?"

"Nah, I wouldn't send you out there alone." He scooted out of their booth as quick as he could, tripping when he tried to stand up but catching himself. "Uh.. that was awkward. To the bat mobile, Señor Wade-o."

Wade caught his elbow to steady him, sending him an incredulous look, before snorting. "You're impossible," he said, shaking his head and laughing, then turned to Tony and Steve. "Thank you for dinner."

Steve grinned over at him. "No sweat, Wade. You two head out and we'll be out in a bit."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy heck Peter and Wade are super fucking cute in this I just can't.

Peter smiled softly at Wade, and there definitely was _not_ a flush to his cheeks. "You're clumsier than I am.. most of the time."

Wade nodded at Steve before maneuvering Peter out of the restaurant by a hand on his back. "I was talking about 'Señor Wade-o'," he grinned. "And considering that your Dad is Iron Man, it should be the iron mobile, not the bat mobile."

Peter resolutely did not think about how nice Wade's hand felt, nope, nuh-uh. "Oh, that… well, that just sort of… uh.. happened." He looked down a bit. "And yeah, maybe, but it always pisses him off whenever I refer to Batman because he 'has no real talent'."

Wade laughed at that. That _did_ sound like something that would piss Tony off. "He has a lot of money," Wade offered, slowly removing his hand from Peter's person before he could notice him touching him too much.

Peter missed the warm touch on his torso, but he didn't say anything. "Yeah, they both do. Dad gets upset when they're compared, because he actually uses his own brain to create his tech, rather than paying someone to do it for him like Bruce Wayne does."

"Iron Man is way cooler than Batman anyway," Wade pointed out, "And Tony's cooler than Bruce Wayne too."

"Agreed." When they got to the car, Peter realized he didn't actually have the keys so he just leaned on it. "And, Jarvis is way better than Alfred could ever be."

Wade nodded. "Plus, he's got you and is married to Captain America, which is, like, the peak of coolness." He leaned against the car next to Peter, smiling at him.

"Yeah, we're like a trifecta of familial awesomeness, and Jarvis is just the sprinkles of spectacular on top," he said, laughing after a moment. "Okay, never mind, that was actually kind of dumb.. but you get my point."

"It wasn't that dumb," Wade said quietly. "You're pretty awesome."

"Nah…" he said (and damn those cheeks of his, flushing again). "I'm nothin' special. If anything, you are."

Wade looked at Peter with fond and gentle eyes. "You're special. You're special to me," he said earnestly. "I'm just.." He shrugged, smiling tentatively.

"Really?" Peter smiled shyly over at him, biting his lip a bit. "You're not 'just' anything.. clearly something horrid happened to you, and you could use that as an excuse to push people away and put up walls around your heart.. but you're still here, letting my dad tease you about maid outfits and sharing garlic bread with me," he pointed out.

Wade's smile widened and his hand was carefully extended towards Peter's, when he froze. His expression stiffened and he stared down to his shoes. He couldn't talk about it, he couldn't, it was too early, he needed more time, he- "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm not-" _as good as you think. You have no idea how pathetic I actually am_.

Peter took the outstretched hand before Wade could pull it back, and brushed his thumb over Wade's softly. "You don't have to be sorry for anything, promise. You don't have to tell me anything, just remember that I'm here for you if you ever do want to talk about it, and nothing you tell me will ever change my opinion of you."

Wade squeezed his eyes shut and held onto Peter's hand, trying to calm himself down with deep breaths. Eventually, he trusted himself to speak. "I missed you," he whispered. 

"I missed you too," he replied softly, squeezing his hand gently and trying not to break the moment that had settled around them. "I'm really glad I've got you back, I.. I thought I'd never see you again."

Wade's throat tightened and he opened his eyes carefully. He wanted to talk to Peter, to share with him, but what had happened just wouldn't come over his lips. "I didn't either," he admitted, and it was as close to the subject as he managed to get. He hadn't thought he'd ever make it out alive. He tugged on Peter's hand.

Peter could almost see the struggle on Wade's face. "Don't stress about it, it'll come out when it needs to. Until then, don't force yourself to talk about it, alright?"

Wade nodded. He felt incredibly relieved and painfully vulnerable and exposed at the same time. He felt unsettled, and didn't know how to reassure himself that he wasn't in danger anymore, so he held onto Peter's hand like a lifeline.

He could feel the nervous energy drifting off of Wade in scads. "You're safe here, y'know," he said quietly. "You're safe, and loved, and my dads won't let anything happen to you. They want you happy and safe too."

"I know," Wade replied and felt more grounded with every word Peter said. He finally looked up from his shoes and to Peter, thankful. "Thank you."

"Nah, s'nothin' more than you deserve. If I could, I would go back in time and keep you safe, stop whoever hurt you.. but I can't, so this will have to do."

"Just you being here means a lot to me," Wade replied, "Especially after I thought I could never have it again."

"Well good, because I don't ever plan on not being here. You're kinda stuck with me," he teased with a soft smile.

"Such hardship," Wade said, careful smile spreading on his face again. "Just remember, you're stuck with me too."

"Yes," he fake-sighed. "It's just going to be _awful_ , being stuck with someone that makes me laugh and makes me happy like you do. Just horrible."

"I make you happy?" Wade asked with a shy smile. He squeezed his hand. He's missed their casual disregard of each other's personal space, the almost constant physical contact they had kept up.

"Well yeah, of course you do. And not only do you make me happy, you actually _put up_ with me, which I know can be pretty damn hard sometimes." He smiled back at Wade.

"It's not that hard," Wade replied, almost blushing, and smiled. "You make me happy too."

"I'm glad." He'd wondered, at times, before the incident, what exactly was keeping Wade around. He hadn’t realized that Wade seemed to be just as attached as he was, but now that he knew.. he found he didn't mind the idea at all. Liked it, actually.

Wade grinned happily. He could hardly believe how lucky he was. He squeezed Peter's hand, before gently tugging. "Your dads are coming," he said and nodded to the restaurant, where the door was just opening.

"Oh.." he said with a slight frown. "Much as I don't want to let go, my dad will tease us if he sees this," he said, holding up their linked hands. "I don't mind if you don't, but.. yeah."

"We'll have to get in the car anyway," Wade pointed out before he smiled apologetically and let go of Peter's hand. He wasn't sure if he could take Tony's teasing on that particular subject just yet. It'd probably hit too close to home to be easily shrugged off.

"Oh, uh. yeah. Right," he said with a grin. As his parents came over, he made his way to the opposite side of the car and got in once Steve (finally) unlocked the doors.

 Wade sat down in the backseat with Peter and while Steve got settled and Tony whined about his full stomach to his ever-patient husband, he moved his hand over the seat between them until it brushed Peter's.

Peter smiled over at Wade, slightly surprised but pleased. He hooked his little finger around Wade's, looking away to hide the certain blush on his face.

Wade stared out the window with a content smile, all anxiety forgotten for the moment and replaced with the certain thought that Peter was the sweetest and loveliest person he'd ever met. "That was nice," Tony said from the front seat, hand as per usual fitted over Steve's thigh.

"Yeah, really nice," Peter said quietly, though he wasn't entirely talking about the dinner; the events that took place afterward had quite a bearing on his opinion. Steve covered Tony's hand with his own with a smile. "I agree, it was great. Wade, how did you like it?"

"It was very nice. The food was great," Wade replied politely. "Thank you, again." Then he grinned. "Even the mental trauma Tony put us through was comparatively mild."

"No problem, we were glad to have you along. And yes," he said, laughing, "he's definitely done worse. Tonight was almost normal."

Tony put on a pout. "If you feel like you're missing something, I can still take off my pants?" he offered jokingly, happy that Wade seemed in a good mood.

"Save it for later, Tones. While I might appreciate it, I don't think the kids will," he pointed out with a playful smirk.

"What do you mean, _might_?" Tony sputtered with a grin. "How rude!"

"I said _might_ because distracting me while I'm driving is a bad idea, don't you think?"

"Yeah, okay," Tony admitted and Wade watched him play with his pen while he looked out the window. He glanced at Peter. He knew logically that Peter and Tony weren't actually blood related, but they shared a remarkable number of features that sometimes made Wade think they might as well be.

"So, boys, what are your plans for the evening?"

Wade looked at Peter questioningly. "We haven't actually _planned_ anything yet, right?"

Peter shrugged. "Not that I know of. Did you have anything in particular you'd like to do?"

Wade shook his head carefully. "I'd rather stay in if that's okay?"

"Yeah, totally fine by me. I've got plenty for us to do, or you could chill in your room if you need some Wade Time."

 Wade pulled a face. "Don't say 'Wade Time'. It sounds like I'll be in my room jacking off." He laughed. "No, I'll hang out with you, if you don't mind."

"Hey, what you do with your free time is your business," he teased. "However, if you're gonna chill with me, I think a scary movie marathon is in order."

"Scary movie or Scary Movie?" Wade asked to clarify, although he was up for either.

"Mmm… maybe both, but I was thinking of normal scary movies when I said it."

Wade shrugged. "Sure," he said. He liked horror movies as much as every other person his age, especially when they made Peter flinch and get a little clingy.

"Any specific ones you'd like to watch?" he asked conversationally.

" _Carrie_? _Exorcism of Emily Rose_? I don't really care, you choose," Wade replied. He hadn't seen a movie in _forever_. He'd be happy watching anything with Peter anyway.

" _Exorcism_ , probably.. Carrie has a bit too much fake blood for my taste."

"You're just saying that because you got scared last time," Wade teased. "But it's okay. I'll watch whatever you want."

"Did _not_ ," he protested, but they both knew it was true. "Maybe a classic after that? _Omen_ or _The Shining_?"

" _The Shining_ ," Wade decided. "The kid in _Omen_ creeps me out."

"You're just saying that because you got scared last time," he said, parroting Wade's words back at him.

Wade stuck his tongue out at him. "Whatever. I'm pretty when I cry and you know it." He thought for a moment. "Let's watch Scary Movie after that."

Peter nodded, laughing. "Yes, you are, and yes, we should. And then maybe Scary Movie 2?"

"Fine, but not 3 or 4. Four movies is enough for a marathon," he said. He already doubted he would make it through Scary Movie 2.

"That's fine, we can crash in my room anyway."

"Yeah, about time I reacquainted myself with the bean bags anyway," he said out of old habit, for Peter's parents. Truth was, he'd shared Peter's bed more times than he could count, but they didn't need to know that.

 "I'm pretty sure your ass got reacquainted with the bean bag this afternoon," he teased.

"My ass yeah, but the rest of me hasn't had its turn yet," Wade replied. "Not like your room is very far away, Wade," Tony pointed out.

 "Maybe not," he said with a shrug. "But when you're almost asleep, going next door is eeeeeffort."

Tony inclined his head. "True," he grinned. "Just don't overdo it tonight, kids."

 "We won't," he said, hoping to appease Tony, though he didn’t actually know how they could overdo it watching a movie.

"I mean, go to sleep _at least_ before sunrise," Tony clarified, "I don't want to deal with you too moping around the house tomorrow because you're tired and grumpy."

"Alright, alright, we'll be asleep before it gets too late. Besides, we're grumpy teenagers all the time, how would you know the difference?"

"There is still a huge difference between grumpy teenager and grumpy, _tired_ teenager," Tony replied. "Grumpy teenager amuses me, grumpy and tired teenager makes me want to strangle someone."

"Okay, that makes sense," he said with a shrug. "I'll try not to make you want to strangle someone."

"Good, because it'll probably be you," Tony grinned. He nudged Steve's side. "Hey, when was the last time we stayed up all night?"

"Hm.." He had to think about it for a moment. " _You_ stay up all night frequently. We haven't done it in a while."

"Ugh, that makes me feel old," Tony sighed. "It's been a while since we've been teenagers, huh? I mean, me. You actually, not so long."

"That's 'cause you are old," he teased. "I'm technically older than you... but if we argue technicalities, we'll get nowhere."

"Tell me you love me?" Tony asked, head flopping back against the head rest of his seat. "My strapping young husband just told me he thinks I'm old."

"Always and forever, doll. I'll love you no matter how old you are or what you look like." He used the back of his free hand to stroke the side of Tony's face softly, smiling over at him for a moment when they were at a stoplight.

"You're lucky you're so cute, not everyone gets away with calling me old, even if it's true," Tony replied, turning into the caress and smiling back. "I love you too."

 He smirked mischievously. "I'm pretty sure I could get away with just about anything when it comes to you, sweets."

"Yes, yes, you could," Tony nodded, grinning proudly. "But please don't overdo it either. I have a fragile ego."

"Alright, I'll keep your ego in mind," he said with a smile, mostly to humor his husband.

"I'm shutting up now, shall I?" Tony grinned, nodding to himself. "Music, guys?" He reached for the radio.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Steve replied, and similar sentiments echoed from the back seat. "Something upbeat, maybe?"

Tony nodded, switching through the stations in search for something 'upbeat'. When he came across an Iron Maiden song, he glanced at Steve hopefully.

 "Fine by me if the boys don't mind," he answered with a shrug.

"I don't," Wade said, in case Steve was waiting for their approval. Tony could play a recording of barking dogs and he wouldn't care. Peter was almost holding his hand, and he was way too busy enjoying the comforting contact.

 Peter smiled, and scooted his hand closer to Wade's so that they were tangled together. "Me either. Go ahead, Dad,"

Tony made eye contact over the rear-view mirror and smiled gratefully. He leaned back in his seat and put his hand back on Steve's leg, lazily petting. Wade smiled happily at Peter, squeezing his hand.

Before too long, Steve was pulling deftly into the garage, navigating the twists and turns easily. "Alright, all ashore that's going ashore!"

Tony grinned dreamily at his husband. It always turned him on a little when Steve drove his expensive cars well. Wade let go of Peter's hand and unbuckled, getting out of the car.

Steve smiled shyly over at Tony; he couldn't deny that he loved both the feeling he got and the look Tony gave him. He broke it, though, to get out of the car, and Peter followed suit.

Tony left the car and turned to lock it, holding a hand open for Steve to throw him the keys. "Thanks for the good company, boys," he said to Peter and Wade, giving them permission to disappear in their rooms, not that they really needed it.

 "Thanks for dinner, Dads, it was nice." Peter smiled before heading upstairs with Wade. Steve nodded to Peter as he left, then tossed the keys over to Tony. "So.." he said, once the boys were out of earshot. He smirked, unabashedly taking a moment to admire Tony's lean yet muscular physique. "I believe we had plans, sweets."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that, accidentally posted 10 in 11. Just for that, though, you'll all get an extra chapter tonight.

Tony's face lit up. "I know, I haven't forgotten. Actually, I've been looking forward to it all day." He locked up the Audi, before pocketing the keys, too lazy and distracted to put them in their proper place. He reached out a hand for Steve, blushing under his gaze. "Upstairs?"

 "Oh really?" he asked, taking his hand and heading toward the doors. "What have you been thinking of?" As they got in the elevator, Steve pulled him close, murmuring softly in his ear in between kisses to his neck. "Thinking about how I'm gonna fuck you 'til you don't remember your name?"

Tony shuddered against him, fists clenching in Steve's shirt. "Steve," he moaned and tilted his head to free more of his neck. "We haven't even started yet and you're already going to make me desperate for it?"

 "Well, yes, that was the idea." He nipped at the spot behind Tony's ear, smirking.

"Well, it's working perfectly," Tony replied breathlessly, burying a hand in Steve's hair to gently guide his head. "I'm going to kiss you now," he whispered before pressing their lips together.

Steve laughed into it, kissing him sweetly as his hands snaked around to slide into Tony's pockets.

Tony couldn't help but push his hips up against Steve, trying to gain any kind of leverage. He kissed him back hungrily, eagerly pulling Steve's lower lip between his teeth and biting it gently.

 Grateful for the soft sound that announced that they were at their floor, Steve turned Tony around and walked him back to their room, managing not to trip over anything. Once they were across the threshold, Steve pushed Tony up against the door into a hotter, deeper kiss. " _Fuck_ , I love you so damn much.."

Tony let out a surprised sound when his back hit the door, before groaning into Steve's mouth. "Me too, I love you too," he echoed and hooked a hand behind Steve's neck, while sliding one leg up Steve's calve, knowing that even if he climbed him like a tree, Steve would be able to hold him up.

Steve took the signal for what it was and placed his hands under Tony's ass, lifting him up against the door easily. Their new position also allowed for easier grinding into Tony's hips, which Steve definitely took advantage of.

The new angle, along with what a huge turn-on it was for Tony when Steve took advantage of his strength in general, made him squeeze his eyes shut and drop his head back against the door. "Oh, fuck.." he breathed, all but trembling with excitement.

He leaned in, kissing and biting roughly at Tony's newly exposed neck. It might be a bit barbaric of him, but he couldn't deny that he loved seeing the love bite bruises bloom over Tony's skin, knowing that he and he alone was allowed to put them there.

Tony fitted his legs around Steve, hooking his ankles together behind him and pulling him as close as their position would let him. He hissed when Steve bit him, suspecting that he'd have some nice bruises tomorrow, and the thought made him smile. He lifted his head off the door. "Here," he whispered, begging to be kissed.

He obliged easily; what was he if not courteous? He moved his hands, keeping Tony up with his hips, and pushed up under Tony's shirt to go after the spots that drove the man mad.

Tony hummed his approval against Steve's lips when the AC/DC shirt got pushed up until it pooled beneath his armpits and he lifted his arms to get rid of it for good, arching his back off the door.

Steve pulled the shirt off and tossed it away without a second thought, kissing Tony harder as he toyed with Tony's nipples.

Tony moaned as his nipples stiffened under Steve's capable hands, that were going after his most sensitive places. "Honeeey," he whined and gripped Steve's wrist. "If you keep that up I'm going to come in my pants."

"Mm.." He considered it for a moment. "I plan to make you come multiple times tonight, but not yet." He set Tony down gently, and set to undoing his pants. "Seriously, why the hell are your jeans so damn tight?"

"For your viewing pleasure," Tony replied with a grin, wriggling to get his pants down his legs. "I want you to think about my ass when I walk by." He slid his hands over Steve's sides, down to his jeans-clad butt. "Also, you're one to talk."

"Well they do make you look fantastic, but you don't have to dress like that for me to think about your ass. I, however, still have issues remembering to buy clothes for this body instead of my old body, and I don't hear you complaining, so…" He trailed off, smirking.

"I am so not complaining," Tony affirmed, fingers digging into the flesh of Steve's ass. "But they're a little in the way right now." He grinned up at Steve seductively, before moving his hands to the front and tugging down Steve's fly after popping open the button.

Steve gave him a matching grin and tugged his pants off as fast as he could, actually managing to not rip them as he had many pairs before. Once the offending garment was out of the way, he pulled Tony close again and met the other man's hips with his own. "Mm.. why do we even wear pants? This is so much better."

"Great idea, let's never wear pants again," Tony agreed, a little breathless at the contact. He grabbed the hem of Steve's shirt, tugging it up gently so it wouldn't get stretched or torn - he liked that one on Steve. It brought out the green in his eyes. "And I have an even better idea," Tony grinned, pushing a thumb under the waistband of Steve's underwear. "Boxers, off."

"Mhm, maybe, but I have a feeling certain members of the household would object.. that, and your ass is _mine_ to look at, not theirs. I'd get unreasonably jealous all the time." Steve took his shirt off carefully, followed by his boxers, and then his hands found their way to Tony's hips to do the same. "Brilliant idea, Mr. Stark."

"Thank you, Captain," Tony replied and when they were finally naked he cupped Steve's face in his hands and pulled him towards him again. "I like it when you're jealous," he admitted in a low voice. "I don't feel good about making you jealous, but I _like_ it when you get jealous so much."

"Really?" He kissed Tony again, short and sweet. "Why's that?"

"Because it means that I belong to you and that you care about me enough to get upset when someone else gets too close to what's yours," Tony said, gazing into Steve's eyes, before adding, "And you get this look on your face, so possessive and angry, and it's so _hot_."

He blushed, ducking his head a bit with a shy smile. "Alrighty then, guess I didn't look at it that way."

Tony's chest swelled with affection. "How do you look so adorable while your dick is hard and poking me in the stomach?" he groaned and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Natural talent," he answered with a shrug, pulling him into another kiss as he ground their hips together again. "Mm.. bed, now," he murmured, pulling Tony that direction.

Tony followed after him, trying not to get break their contact as he stumbled towards the bed. When the back of Steve's knees hit the edge of it, Tony pushed him down gently, moving on top of him to straddle his thighs.

Steve took the opportunity to look him up and down. "Damn.. can't say I mind this view," he teased with a grin, love and lust swirling in his eyes.

"Mine isn't too bad either," Tony smiled down at Steve tenderly, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to Steve's. "Do you want my mouth, baby?"

"I want whatever you want to give me, dollface." His hand moved to cup Tony's face, stroking it softly with his thumb.

"You know I'd give you everything." Tony moved from kissing Steve's lips to the line of his jaw, to gently sucking on the skin just below his Adam's apple. "If you give me the lube I can," he made a scissoring motion with his index and middle finger, "while I suck you off."

Steve groaned slightly. "Mm, you already have," he said with a slightly dopey grin. He stretched back to the side table drawer, pulling out the lube and handing it to Tony.

 Tony was surprised that his eyes hadn't permanently adopted the shape of a heart yet, as lovely and amazing as Steve was. He giggled softly against the side of Steve's neck, before pressing a final kiss there and moving downwards to flick a nipple with his tongue.

Steve arched up a bit, surprised but not displeased. "Always gets me when you do that, y'know."

"I know," Tony chuckled and kissed his chest apologetically. "That's why I do it." Tony put the lube safely onto the bed next to them and used his newly free hand to wrap around Steve's erection in a gentle hold, while his tongue left a damp trail over his abs before dipping into his belly button.

"You're a little sneak," he said, relishing the feeling of the warmth swirling in him.

"If you're still talking, I'm clearly not doing my job right," Tony chuckled, before climbing off Steve's lap and sliding down to the floor to kneel between his legs. "Scoot down a bit, honey."

Steve did as told, and when Tony started in, the touch made him groan. "Fuck, Tony.."

Since Tony was sincerely hoping to get Steve inside him tonight, any teasing Steve would also be teasing himself, so he just tightened his fingers around Steve's shaft and took the head in his mouth, applying gently suction.

"Holy hell.. you'd better get to work, 'cause I don't know how long I'll be able to stop myself from fucking that sweet ass of yours."

Tony looked up to make eye contact, while picking up the lube next to Steve and popping open the cap. He waved it to Steve for a moment, before moving it out of sight and removing his hand from Steve in order to prepare himself.

Steve fought hard not to thrust up into Tony's mouth, knowing his strength could very well cause problems. He was very vocal, however, expressing his appreciation in moans and grunts.

Tony knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up for very long, because not being able to use his hands would put quite a strain on his jaw soon, so he quickly lubed up a hand and after carefully working in one finger, and then two, began to stretch himself.

Just hearing the sound of Tony working himself open sent Steve's thoughts spiraling, and a spike of warmth shot down his spine. "You feel so damn good, Tony.."

 When Tony was basically just moaning around sloppy sucks while his dick was throbbing from want, he decided that enough was enough and he hoped that Steve had had enough, because he needed him inside _yesterday_. He let Steve's erection slide from his mouth with a last press of tongue and wiped the saliva from his chin with the back of his hand. "Baby? Steve?"

"I hope you're ready, 'cause I don't know how much longer I can wait," he said, his voice slightly strained.

"Sorry," Tony said, picking up the lube again and squeezing some into his hand. He got up on wobbly legs to move back up on the bed.

"No, no, don't apologize.. how do you want it?"

"Uh," He thought for a moment. "Can I.. on my back?" he suggested, kneeling on the bed and reaching out for Steve's dick again to spread the lube.

"'Course, whatever you want," he said, biting back a groan at the feel of Tony's hand. "Lie back, babe."

Tony let himself drop onto the covers and reached behind him to pull a pillow under his lower back. He bent his legs and spread his knees and beckoned Steve with an extended hand.

Steve took in the sight with a soft smile, but soon lust won out and he was looming over Tony and lining up. "Ready?"

"For you, always," Tony answered, smiling, and strained up for a kiss.

Steve kissed him as he pressed in, torturously slowly for the both of them.

Tony groaned deep in his throat and he arched his back, eyes sliding shut. No matter how many times they did this, the first moment of penetration was always and would always be a very special feeling for Tony. He opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Steve, who was gorgeous and powerful above him, and remembered exactly why he _loved_ this position.

Steve built up a rhythm shortly afterward, once they'd both adjusted well enough not to come right then. "Damn, how are you always this tight?" he asked, leaning in to kiss at Tony's neck.

Tony tilted his head back for better access and grinned. "Natural talent," he said breathily, while holding onto Steve tightly.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Dork." He moved his hands, one going to Tony's cock and the other going to one of his nipples.

Tony threw his head back, groaning loudly. "Jesus _fuck_ ," he panted, hands clenching into fists. "Steve, your dick is _magical_."

He laughed again, nipping at Tony's neck. "You say the weirdest things during sex."

Tony ran his hand over Steve's chest, breathing heavily. "I'm just trying to tell you I'm having a good time." He broke off in a groan when a particularly well-aimed thrust sent sparks flying across his vision.

"Oh trust me, I can tell," he said, angling for that spot again.

"Ah, right there, perfect," Tony encouraged him, and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt a familiar tingling at the base of his spine and moaned Steve's name.

The sound of Steve's name tumbling off of Tony's lips drove him wild. "Mm.. how close are you?"

"Very," Tony replied, breath hitching. "Like, almost there. You too, baby?"

"Close, yeah.." he muttered, fucking into Tony harder.

Tony was feeling so fucking incredible he didn't even think to stop the high, whining gasps that escaped him with every thrust. "Steve," he almost slurred, pulling him down by the back of his neck. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his lips, before whispering in his ear. "Come for me."

"Mmm… fuck, no, you first," he said, groaning.

Tony, getting slowly but surely seriously desperate, complied happily, screwing his eyes shut and throwing his head back as he finally let go. His release washed over him like a wave, crashing down and taking him with, almost knocking him out.

Steve moaned long and low at the feeling of Tony clenching around him, and felt himself dragged to the edge and pulled over almost violently. He came hard, groaning Tony's name into his neck.

When Tony came back to a point where he was halfway capable of coherent thought, he realized that he was grinning dopily and had his finger buried in Steve's hair, gently combing through the blonde strands. "Honey?" he said quietly.

 Steve had thankfully managed to fall to the side of Tony rather than on top of him, and he answered breathily into Tony's neck, giving him a kiss afterward. "Yes, love?"

"You're amazing," he said, snuggling close to him and stealing another kiss. He knew he'd have to get up soon to get at least a washcloth or something, but for the moment, he just wanted to be close to Steve.

He smiled and tightened his arms around Tony a bit. "Do we have to move? 'Cause I don't want to."

"You stay, I'll go get a washcloth," Tony chuckled, pressing tender kisses over Steve's face. "In a minute."

"I don't want you to leave either," he replied, leaning into Tony's touch.

"I don't want to leave either," Tony said, smiling. "But if I don't, I'm going to be _really_ uncomfortable tomorrow morning." He was already beginning to feel a little more than sticky, so he slowly began to pull away. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't move."

"Mm.. true," he said, releasing his hold on Tony reluctantly. "When did you get so perfect, sweets?"

Tony flushed, actually blushing. "I'm not perfect," he said, getting up and making his way to their bathroom, walking backwards, so he could keep smiling at Steve. "If anyone's perfect, that's you."

He sighed fondly, though he wasn't sure Tony could hear him all the way in the bathroom. "Are we really gonna argue about this again? If I'm perfect it's entirely by chance, 'cause someone decided to give me a chance. You, however, worked for everything you have…. and you're brilliant, and amazing, and spectacular, and.. I'm running out of adjectives, sorry."

"I'm not talking about serum-perfect, love. I'm talking about best, cutest, most amazing person in the world perfect. Even if you'd still weigh like 110 pounds, I'd be all over you," Tony called, before turning on the water and hopping into the shower for about 30 seconds. When he got out, he quickly toweled himself off and dampened a washcloth for Steve.

He blushed, smiling shyly over at Tony when he came back. "But if I hadn't got the serum, we never would've met. I'd never change that, no matter what."

Tony let himself fall back onto the bed next to Steve and immediately reached out for him. "Me neither," he said and leaned in for a kiss. "I brought you a washcloth."

Steve kissed him sweetly before using the cloth on his abdomen, then tossing it neatly toward the hamper. "C'mere, you," he said, opening his arms. "I wanna snuggle."

Tony scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Steve's neck, pressing up against him. He sighed happily, Steve's arms being his favorite place to be in the world. He told him so.

Steve smiled. "Perfect, 'cause you're my favorite thing to hold."

Tony ducked his head and looked up at Steve through his eyelashes. "I was serious though, about your dick being magical. That was incredible."

He tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help laughing at that. "My dick has magical powers, huh?"

"Yeah, blows my mind every time," Tony smiled, resting his chin below Steve's collarbone. His expression turned softer. "I love you."

He smiled, and started to card his fingers through Tony's hair softly. "Love you more."

Tony closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of having his hair played with. "I'd fight you on that, because clearly, nobody could love anyone more than I love you, but I'm way too comfortable."

"Mm.. I love you most, and that's that," he said, scratching Tony's scalp lightly.

Tony sighed happily again. "Honey," he whispered after a moment. "Do you mind if I go to sleep? I feel like I'm about to."

"No, no, not at all. Sweet dreams, doll." He stretched out a bit, settling in to a position that wouldn't leave him aching after being slept on all night.

"Sweet dreams," Tony repeated, smiling gently. He was already drifting off. "I love you," he mumbled into Steve's chest, right before he fell asleep.

Steve smiled softly, knowing Tony would be too tired to get any response he uttered, so he kept quiet. Before too long, the sound of Tony's quiet, even breathing lulled him to sleep as well.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh ugh I still can't get over how cute Peter and Wade are. Probably more than a bit OOC... actually, OOC almost to the point of OC. Sorry.

In the other room, resolutely ignoring the two heroes, Wade and Peter were setting up for their movie night. "Hey, do you want popcorn?" Peter asked, starting to set the first movie up.

Wade perked up. "Do we have popcorn? Because that'd be great." He got up from the bean bag and brushed down the soft sweatpants he had changed into, ready and eager to go to the kitchen to get _popcorn_.

Peter chuckled fondly, nodding. "Yeah, in the kitchen. Anything else you want?" he asked, starting to head that direction.

"Soda?" Wade suggested, trailing after him. "Four movies is a long time."

"Mm.. true. And maybe some candy or sweets?"

Wade shrugged. "Sure. I'm still kinda full though, but later.. Hey, dinner was great, and after.. that too." 

"Yeah, later might be better.. I know, right? Dinner was awesome.. and I can't say I didn't like what came after," he said, smiling slightly shyly over at Wade.

"I know I probably should've said this earlier, but I'm really glad, and.. grateful that you're around," Wade said, kind of looking everywhere but at Peter. "I lied to you about moving away, and you have every right to be mad at me, but you're still here for me, and that's.. I'm really happy about that."

"It would be stupid to be mad at you. You had your reasons for disappearing, and I'm mostly just glad to have you back more than anything, so why waste time being angry?" he said honestly. He moved away when they got to the kitchen, so Wade wouldn't feel too pressured to respond, and started digging through the cupboards for popcorn.

"Thanks, that's really cool," Wade replied, finally looking up. He was fully prepared to make it up to Peter in any way he requested. He would be the best damn friend anyone could imagine. "Do you need a hand?"

"Mm.. you could get the pop," he answered with a shrug. "You know where everything is," he said, pulling the popcorn out with a triumphant little grin. He set it up to pop and hopped on the counter to wait.

Wade pulled out some sodas for them out of the fridge, setting them down to take to Peter's room later. He sat down next to Peter on the counter with a small smile. "Now we wait."

"Yeah.. waiting is boring. Entertain me?"

Wade chuckled, swinging his legs. "Sure, what do you want me to do?"

"I dunno," he said with a chuckle and a shrug. "Song and dance number?"

Wade snorted in amusement. "You know I can't sing for shit. I could do a trick though? A handstand or something?" He hopped off the counter and easily swung his legs up, balancing on one hand. The other was carefully keeping his shirt up; he'd rather not flash any of the new scars that were still not quite healing.

"Bravo, good sir!"  He laughed, clapping for a moment. "Perfect. Since when are you so coordinated?" he teased.

Wade let his legs drop to sit on the floor. "What do you mean 'since when'? I've always been a prime example of agility." He grinned. "With the occasional outbreak of clumsiness when I'm trying to look smooth."

"Bullshit," he replied, still laughing as he pulled the finished popcorn out. "Dare you to walk back to my room on your hands?" he challenged, picking up the sodas.

"Pff, no problem," Wade replied and got up again, this time balancing on both hands. Walking on both hands was seriously not difficult for him, unless Peter started doing something especially cute and he lost his focus. "What do I get if I make it?" he asked, upside down.

He smirked. "Prizes are yet to be determined, Mister Wilson. It depends on how successful your performance is," he said, feigning nonchalance with a shrug.

"Lead the way," Wade grinned, pretty confident that he would be able to make it to Peter's room without falling once. He carefully moved himself out the kitchen door.

"I'm afraid to walk in front of you, what if you start falling and your long-ass legs hit me in the head?"

"Well then you better warn me before I run into anything because looking up all the time is really hard like this," Wade said, not stopping to walk, because he didn't want to lose the momentum he already head. "Also, my legs are just fine, they're not 'long-ass' or anything."

"Your legs go on for miles, Wade. I'll watch out, though, just keep going forward.. shit, left a little or you'll hit the door!"

Wade swayed out of the way before he actually hit the door. "Wow, Peter, thanks. That wasn't last-minute or anything," he grumbled jokingly. "How much longer?"

"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly, estimating the length left quickly. "Twenty, twenty-five feet maybe."

"Okay, I can do this," he said, mostly to himself, although his arms were kind of starting to ache a little. Just when he walked past though, Clint's door opened and the archer stepped out, coat in hand. He stared while Wade swayed and tried to keep his balance. "Do I even want to know?" he asked Peter.

"I promised him a night of hot, wild sex if he would walk on his hands back to my room," he deadpanned, keeping a remarkably straight face. "Really, though.. you probably don't want to know. C'mon, Wade, keep going, you can do it."

Wade almost fell over right then, eyes widening as he stared at Peter upside down, brain momentarily offline. "Okay," he replied dazedly and kept himself upright with a steadying foot on the wall. Twenty feet, he could do this. Clint raised an eyebrow and pointed a thumb in direction of the elevators. "Well, I got a thing, so I'm gonna go now," he said and frowned a little. "You guys have fun with your.. weirdly athletic sex games. Don't forget to use protection!"

Peter groaned, following Wade. "Seriously, Clint? Necessary?" He shook his head as the archer left the building. "Sorry. I probably shouldn't have said that without asking you first."

"No, no problem," Wade reassured him quickly. "I knew you were joking, obviously, and he probably did, too. He just likes being a little shit." He crossed the last few feet between him and the door to Peter's room. "Open the door for me?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't make it any less awkward. There are a few people that I never ever want to talk about sex with, and he's one of them." He opened the door quickly, trying not to keep Wade waiting.

"Who _do_ you want to talk about sex with?" Wade asked, grinning, and let himself fall over backwards onto one of the beanbags. He groaned when his back hit ground and stretched his sore arms out.

"I dunno." He shrugged, planting himself in the other beanbag and passing Wade his soda. "You, maybe, 'cause it wouldn't be awkward. Bruce is really good at listening and not judging.. I dunno, can't think of any more off of the top of my head."

"What about your dads? Tony seems like he'd be pretty open minded," Wade asked, arranging himself upright in his seat before opening his soda.

"They both are, actually. It's just.. whenever I try to talk to either of them, it always makes me think of them together, and that's a whole host of mental images I'm not interested in." He made a bit of a face at that, taking a handful of popcorn.

"Yeah okay, I get that," Wade replied and reached over so he could have some popcorn too. "Well, you can come talk to me anytime," he said. Even if he'd probably have to hide an awkward boner or two. Wade would be happy to have Peter confide in him.

"I know, I trust you," he said with a smile, though he knew he really couldn't. How the hell was he supposed to talk to Wade about himself?

"Alright, good," Wade said, nodding his head. "Now that we're already kind of on the topic.. While I was gone, you didn't like, get yourself a girlfriend, or anything, right? 'Cause I'd like to know if you did. You'd tell me, right?"

"Nope, single as can be. I'd tell you, you know that." He started the movie so the previews could play through, but turned it down so they could keep talking. "You didn't either, did you? I mean, I don't think you would have, but I don't want to assume, either."

"Of course not," he said and smiled a little. Even though he wanted Peter to be happy and have some kind of epic romance, he couldn't help but feel relieved. A guy could dream, couldn't he?

"Why do you say it like that?" he asked curiously. "'Of course not', as though you _can't_. If you haven't looked in a mirror lately, you're kind of hot." He hadn't exactly meant to say that, so the admission made him blush, but he didn't take it back.

Wade felt heat rushing to his face and he ducked his head. Peter thought he was _hot_. "Wow, you- I mean- you- thanks. You.. you too, I mean you _could_ find someone too, obviously," he stammered, "I'm just.. happy where I am right now, I guess. I'm not interested in finding someone to date and stuff." He winced.

Peter smiled, glad Wade's head was ducked so he couldn't see the look he was getting- because Peter was sure it was positively gooey. He schooled his features, though, in case Wade looked back up. The fact that Wade had said he wasn't interested in dating at the moment was sort of off-putting; he'd hoped whatever apprehensive thing they had could move forward. However, he decided to just let the movie play, and save them both from stuttering over each other. "Eat your popcorn, silly."

He was saying it all wrong. Wade frowned, but short from saying 'I don't want to go out with anyone but _you'_ there wasn't much he could do to clarify what he had meant, even if Peter had somehow taken it the wrong way, judging by how quickly he dropped the topic. He sighed and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Thanks."

"No problem." Peter shifted a bit to get more comfortable as the movie started to play. Before too long, though, the air conditioner kicked on, sending a chilly draft over them. "Shit.. I'm freezing, mind if I go lay on my bed?"

Wade looked down at the goosebumps on his arms and said, "Can I come with?"

"Sure," he said, already over there and burrowing into his comforter. "Hurry up or I'll hog all the blankets!"

Wade laughed and after climbing on the bed, sat right on top of Peter, leaning back so he was pretty much stretched all over him. "That's okay," he grinned, trying to be annoying. "I can see the screen perfectly from up here."

Peter laughed and shoved him off. "Get under the covers you idiot."

"Oh, so _now_ you're sharing," Wade complained with a grin, but rolled off of him obediently and slid under the covers next to Peter. He leaned back and stretched languidly. "I love your bed. Your bed is amazing."

"I was going to share before! You're lucky I'm so nice, or you'd be freezing." He chuckled, looking at him curiously. "What makes my bed so nice? You've got the same one."

"I've got the same one _now_ , the one I had before sucked. Or rather, the ones. That one you found in the supply closet was just a temporary setup, and let me tell you, sleeping in the vents wasn't very comfortable either," Wade replied, pulling the covers up to his chin and bunching up a pillow beneath his head. "Yours is still the nicest." Because it was warm and comfy and had a snuggly Peter in it.

He frowned slightly, sighing. "I still wish you would've just told us, instead of making me think I'd lost you for good," he said quietly as he got situated.

Peter's quiet voice and his unhappy expression tore at Wade's heart and before he could stop himself he had rolled over, his head pressed to Peter's shoulder and an arm around his waist, squeezing in what he hoped was a comforting hug. "I'm sorry, Bambi," he said quietly.

Peter let his head fall to the top of Wade's, and hugged him back as best he could from that position. "It's alright.. I was just.. I missed you, that's all," he said, half-heartedly shrugging and blushing.

"I know, I missed you too." He tilted his head up so he could see Peter's face. "Even if you hadn't found me, I would've told you soon anyway, I think." He had wanted to, at least, but he'd been scared. Still, he wouldn't have hidden much longer, after all, stealing someone's clothes while they were in the shower wasn't exactly inconspicuous behavior.

"Good... I was worried about you, too. I'm glad you were here and out of the cold instead of alone somewhere on the streets."

Wade tightened his arm around him. "I'm sorry for making you worry. That's why I told you I'd move away, so you wouldn't have to," he admitted quietly.

Peter shook his head, sighing with fond exasperation. "I'm going to worry about you regardless, silly."

Wade smiled warmly. "Thank you," he said, reluctantly letting go of Peter and shifting to sit beside him, pressed up against his side. "We should at least pretend to watch the movie, if we're having a movie marathon."

"True.. You should know by now that I'm a cuddler, though, so.. Yeah." He fidgeted, accidentally scooting closer to Wade. "Mm.. I want the popcorn but it's all the way down there. Help, Wade..." he pleaded, faking pitifulness.

Wade sighed heavily. "The things I do for you.." he said, before lifting the covers and swinging his legs off the bed to get the popcorn. "Anything else you want, since I'm already up?"

Peter smiled over at him, curling up in the blanket again. "Nope, just come back and keep me warm."

"With pleasure," Wade replied, grinning, and put down the popcorn on Peter's thighs, before he slid back in quickly, suppressing a shudder.

Pete emerged from the blankets just long enough to get a handful of popcorn before burrowing back under and into Wade's side. "Why the hell are you so damn warm?" he asked, shivering. "Not fair. Share."

"Hey, I shared, you sent me to get popcorn," Wade complained half-heartedly, but gently pushed an arm under Peter's neck so he could wrap it around his shoulders. "C'mere, you slave driver. Better?"

"Mhm…" He nodded, sighing contentedly. "Much better. And I'm not a slave driver."

"No, you're not," Wade agreed softly, eyes on the screen, but mind on how good it felt to be this close to Peter again. He brushed his thumb gently along Peter's shoulder, smiling happily to himself.

Peter couldn't deny that he loved how safe Wade made him feel. Loved, too. He felt the little brushes along his shoulder and grinned. Sleep called to him with its siren song, but he definitely wanted to stay awake and savor the closeness that he'd missed so much.

Huddled into the blankets with Peter snuggled against his side, Wade felt a moment of safety and happiness like he hadn't in months. He couldn't care less that Emily Rose was being exorcised right in front of them - he expectedly flinched slightly when the volume rose suddenly to scare the audience, but his attention was on Peter, who was warm and sleepy in his arms. He leaned his head over so he could whisper softly in his ear. "Bambi, hey.. It's okay if you go to sleep. We'll watch the rest some other time."

"Mm.. but I miss hanging out with you," he protested tiredly.

 "I promise, I'll still be here tomorrow, and we can make up for it then, okay?" Wade replied. Actually, he wasn't planning on leaving ever, if it was up to him. "We'll watch the whole thing."

He chuckled slightly. "I didn't care about the movies, to be honest. Just you... Mm. Are you sure you don't mind if I sleep?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, we had a long day today. I'll stay and keep you warm, and tomorrow we don't have school so we can spend the whole day together," Wade said, smiling. He was getting a little drowsy too, plus now that he had finally dropped some of his tenseness, he could feel his exhaustion catching up with him.

"Alright.. If you're sure," he said, trailing off as he fell asleep, happy and safe, warm and loved.

"Good night," Wade whispered and watched Peter nod off with a gentle, fond smile on his face. He reached for the remote carefully, trying not to stir Peter too much, and paused the movie. His eyelids already felt heavy as lead, but he kept them open as long as he could, watching Peter with loving wonder in his eyes, until he too submitted to sleep. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Steve-and-Peter-and-occasionally-Wade mun officially sucks. I'm the one that updates this, not my amazing Tony-and-Wade mun, and.. yeah. Life happened. I'm so sorry readers, I took ages getting this out and it definitely won't happen again. I just got stressed and strung out with school and finals and shit sooo.. yeah. Y'all will be getting a fuckton of chapters, possibly two a day to make up for me being a shitty author. Also, this one is a bit short but there's some really long (also really emotionally intense) ones coming up.

The next day, Bruce was sitting on the couch in the main room reading when he was soft footsteps on the floor drew his attention. He looked up to see Clint, and gave him a grin. "Hey, you. What's up?"

"Hey, you," Clint said back with a grin and sat down on the edge of the coffee table, pushing a bunch of magazines out of the way. "What're you reading?"

" _The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks_." He held the book up so Clint could see it. "It's about the life of a woman whose cells revolutionized cancer research."

"Wow, sounds deep. Good book?" he asked. He hadn't heard of it before, but then again Clint's reading material of choice wasn't always very prestigious.

"So far, yes. It's formatted kind of oddly, though. It keep switching back and for the between the present and the 1950's."

Clint laughed. "Well, something for Steve then, maybe," he replied. "Listen, about our date? I figured out the logistics and stuff, and I realize we don't exactly have normal working schedules, so practically," he breathed in and smiled, "whenever you're ready."

"Whenever's fine, I guess," he answered, shrugging. "When are you going to tell me what we're doing?" he asked, smiling and knowing he probably wouldn't get anything out of the archer.

"You'll see," Clint replied and grinned. "Could 'whenever' be tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow is fine with me. What time were you thinking?"

"Uhm, I guess evening is the usual time, but I think afternoon would be better. Is 3 o'clock okay?" Clint grinned and shuffled his feet. "I could pick you up.. at your room." He frowned, that sounded a lot less cool when you were living in the same house.

"Three is fine by me, and we can meet at mine if you want." He smiled, hoping to dispel the slight discomfort he saw on Clint's face.

"Yeah, okay." Clint smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. Really. You wouldn't believe how long I've wanted this."

"I'm really looking forward to it too.. and I actually might believe it, because I've wanted it for a while as well."

Clint bit his lip, grinning like a child. "Cool," he said, nodding energetically.

Bruce's smile nearly matched Clint's in brightness. "You should smile like that more often.. it's like your whole face lights up."

"Uh, thank you," Clint replied, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and definitely _not_ blushing. "You too. Your smile is very nice."

That brought color to Bruce's cheeks as well. He chuckled slightly, smiling still. "Look at us, we're like a couple of blushing teenagers."

Clint grinned and tilted his head. Bruce blushed very prettily. "I'll try to be cooler on our date, don't worry."

"No, no, I don't want you to change. You're fantastic just the way you are, lame or not. And for the record, you're not."

Clint looked stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Okay," he said, serious. "Awesome." He nodded, then began getting up.

He smiled back. "Alrighty, see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, tomorrow," Clint replied with a smile, then paused. "You're not having dinner with us tonight?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, I'd forgotten about that, actually. I'll be there.. hm, wonder what Steve's making tonight," he said quietly, thinking out loud.

"You could send him a text, maybe he's taking requests," Clint suggested.

"Maybe.. anything in particular sound good to you?"

"I'm up for pretty much anything. Steve's cooking is always pretty damn good," Clint said. "I wouldn't mind something with fish, probably."

"I second that, I could live off of his cooking forever.. yeah, fish would be good. I'll text him and ask if he wouldn't mind seeing what his brilliant chef mind can come up with."

"Let's hope Tony's up for fish too," Clint pointed out, a little reluctant to end their conversation, because he enjoyed talking to Bruce. "Because he can veto pretty much everything when it comes to Steve."

"True, yes, but he also loves Steve's cooking more than anyone, and I've never seen him say no to anything Steve made," he pointed out.

"Yeah, okay," Clint agreed. "Or maybe because he chose it in the first place." He shrugged, grinning.

"Maybe." He wanted to keep talking with Clint, but he couldn't think of much else to say. "So you're sure you can't tell me what we're doing tomorrow?"

Clint weighed his head from side to side. "I could if you want to. It's not like, super secret, or anything." He hadn't any great activities planned or anything, but what equaled to a nice afternoon for him, where he and Bruce could talk and enjoy themselves, at a special place he liked to go sometimes. "You want to know?"

"I'm not sure, really.. I want to know because I'm curious and excited, but surprises are fun too."

Clint looked conflicted. "I just.. I don't want you to build expectations that my plans don't fulfill. I don't want you to be disappointed." He grinned crookedly. "Better disappoint you now than later?"

"I won't be disappointed by it, whatever it is. I get to spend time with you, right? That's all I need."

Clint blushed again. "Okay, good then. So, do you want me to tell you, or should I surprise you?"

"Surprise me, and don't let me convince you otherwise if I ask again later," he said resolutely, smiling again as he saw the flush on Clint's cheeks.

Clint chuckled at that. "Alright, but if you try to convince me to tell you anyway, I don't know if I can resist you."

Bruce ducked his head, smiling shyly. "I've got faith in you, you can handle it."

"Don't have too much faith in me," Clint warned. Bruce obviously didn't know how much Clint actually liked him. "But I'll try."

"I'm pretty sure it would take a force of nature to change my opinion of you." Bruce grinned. "I'll always have faith in you."

Clint's eyes widened slightly at such an admission. He grinned stupidly. "Okay. Okay then. I'll try to live up to that."

Seeing that smile on Clint's face (and knowing he put it there) made Bruce want to do nothing more than kiss him, but he wasn't sure how it would be received so he restrained himself. "I know you can."

If Bruce was standing, Clint would probably hug him, but as it was, he restrained himself to awkwardly patting his shoulder. "Thanks, Bruce."

"It's nothing." He shrugged, unable to deny that he liked the warmth Clint's touch left. "So," he said, slightly reluctant. "See you at dinner, hopefully over fish?"

"Yeah," Clint nodded and smiled, "Dinner, yeah, I'll see you then." He waved a little.

He waved as well with a smile, then went back to his book, if only to avoid being caught watching the archer leave.

Tony was lying in bed, tablet balanced on his knees where he was lazily looking through his emails, when the buzzing of a phone broke his concentration. He looked up to Steve. "Whose is it?"

"Hm.. Mine," he said, stretching over to get it from the bedside table. "Clint and Bruce want to know if we can have fish for dinner.. thoughts?"

Tony shrugged. "Sure. We haven't had fish in a while. What about you?"

"Fine with me. I've been itching for some steak, though... surf and turf? However, we don't have any fish, so we'd have to go get some… and maybe we could have some scalloped potatoes on the side." He stretched a bit as he woke up further, thinking over dinner plans.

"Mmh," Tony made with wide eyes. "That sounds great. Do you want to order the stuff online? Or are we going to the store? Because I think we're low on coffee."

"I think we could kill some time and go to the store if you want." He paused to glance at the clock. "It's barely noon, we've got time."

Usually, Tony either ordered what he needed or sent someone else to get it. He rarely went shopping himself, and even less so when it came to groceries, but he enjoyed going with Steve, so he nodded. "Yeah, let's. I haven't been in a while, I think."

"Months, dear," he replied fondly. "Should we wake the sleeping bears and have them come with?"

"I think they're old enough to be left at home alone for a few hours," Tony chuckled, before continuing, "But I do think we should ask them if they want to come with. Maybe they need something."

"That's true.. And we don't want to overwhelm Wade with too much too soon. We should check with them, though... Ugh. I don't want to get up," he said with a groan. "I'm comfy, Tones."

Tony put his tablet down on the bedside table and rolled over to get closer to Steve. "It's barely noon, we can stay for a few more minutes _at least_."

Steve wrapped his arms around Tony, nuzzling into his hair. "Maybe, but if we stay too long I'll fall asleep."

Tony hugged him back and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You can sleep if you want, honey. We can figure something else out for dinner."

"Mmm.. 'm not tired, just happy and comfy. Besides, it would set a bad example for us to laze around in bed all day."

"Sweetie, you are the personification of a good example. You can take a day off." He ran a hand through his hair. "But if you really want to get up, I can steal your blanket if that would help?"

"Am not." He chuckled. "Alright, maybe that would work."

"Okay," Tony said and gave him a quick kiss. "Brace yourself, honey." He slowly pulled Steve's covers away to pile up behind Tony's back. "How's this? Better? Feel like you can get up?"

Steve shivered, nodding. "Cold, but effective." He stood, stretching with a satisfied groan as he walked over to find some clothes.

Tony walked over to his own dresser, picking up discarded clothes from the night before as he went and stuffed them into the hamper. "We're trying not to get recognized, right?" He asked, abandoning his Captain America shirt and pulling on a plain blue one instead, before looking around for a pair of shades.

"Yep, that's right.. Though I do _love_ seein' you with my shield, sweets." He grinned, pulling on a plain black shirt and jeans.

"Maybe I'll wear it to bed tonight," Tony replied, comically waggling his eyebrows. He picked up his wallet and phone and put it in his jeans pocket. "Okay, ready."

"I certainly wouldn't say no to that." He gave Tony an appreciative gaze, humming. "Alright.. Time to get the boys." He dug his phone out of the bed, finding his wallet next then pulling his jacket on.

Tony was halfway out the door already when he noticed Steve's jacket. Did he need a jacket too? He'd have to go back to his dresser.. It probably wasn't that cold. "They better not be naked or anything. As much as I support Wade, I don't want to see _proof_ that he's defiling my baby boy."

Steve frowned. "I'm sure they'll be fine. They weren't too close last night, they probably just fell asleep together if anything."

"I'm just saying," Tony replied, shrugging, and reached out for Steve's hand. "I'm really looking forward to going to the store with you."

He swung their linked hands softly as they headed to Peter's hall. "I look forward to everything we do together," he answered with a grin.

"Mmh, me too," Tony said, smiling happily. "Even the most boring, stupid stuff. It all gets bearable if you're there with me."

"Just bearable?" he teased. "I'd like to think I'm more entertaining than that." They came upon Peter's door and Steve knocked softly. "Pete?"

Tony leaned on the wall beside him, arms crossed. "No, you are. I'm just saying, even the _really_ annoying, boring things get bearable." There was no response from Peter's room. "Could they still be sleeping?"

"Maybe.." He pushed the door open quietly, poking his head in. "Oh, Tony," he whispered, grinning big. "Come look at these two!" He opened the door wider, showing the two boys cuddled up in their son's bed, intertwined tightly with Peter's head pillowed on Wade's chest.

"Oh," Tony sighed softly. "Oh, wow. That's so cute. Wait, Steve, let me take a picture."

"Oh, he's going to hate you for this," he said, but stepped aside anyway to give him a clearer shot. "I dunno, I almost don't want to wake them up."

Tony took a picture with his phone, grinning widely. "To wake or not to wake," he whispered. "Let's just leave a note: 'If you need anything from the store, call Daddy.'"

"Good idea.. if we wake them up, they'll just be all embarrassed. This way, they won't, and then they can have their little moment together… and we'll just embarrass them later," he decided mischievously. "Send that picture to me, would you?" He walked over to Peter's desk, finding a pen and paper and scrawling out a note before taping it to the door so they'd see it.

Tony touched his hand to his chest. "Steve, you are the most perfect person in the world," he whispered, grinning devilishly. He held out his hand for Steve again. "Let's go, before we ruin your genius plan and wake them."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, another short one, but long ones are on their way. It mostly has to do with where we put chapter breaks so there's not an awkward skip, so it really doesn't mean much once they're all up and can be read straight through.

He grinned back, taking Tony's hand and shutting the door quietly with his other. "So, to the store?"

"To the store," Tony echoed in agreement and squeezed his hand. "Your evil planning just now really turned me on. You don't happen to feel like making out in the hall for a few minutes right now?"

"It should worry me how much evil turns you on.. but yes, I'd love to," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

"It's not really the evil," Tony explained, grabbing Steve's jacket and pulling him towards him. "It's the you conspiring with me." He looped an arm around Steve's neck and kissed him.

"Well then maybe we should conspire more often," he said when they broke for breath. He walked Tony backward, pushing him up against the wall gently and kissing him harder.

"Absolutely," Tony replied breathlessly, before pressing his lips back to Steve's. He sure hoped Clint was either not in his room, or sound asleep, because if they kept going like that, Tony wasn't going to be able to keep quiet for much longer.

"Mm.." He hummed against Tony's mouth before pulling back reluctantly. "Much as I'd like to continue, we have things to do.. let's get groceries and I'll ravish you thoroughly when we get home, yeah?"

"Yeah okay, just one more. For the road?" He got on his tiptoes and pursed his lips.

He chuckled, obliging. "Alright, you. Elevator," he said, heading that way and pulling Tony by the hand.

Tony followed with a stupid grin on his face. "We should have more weekends off together," he said, once they were in the elevator and going down to the ground floor.

"I wholeheartedly agree, but I don't want to take you away from work if you need to be doing that."

"I would have no problem just not doing it, at least not while you're home and available, but I'm scared that Pepper might hurt me," Tony replied, like, 50% serious. "And then Fury'll assign me a babysitter again, and it will be Coulson, and he _will_ tase me."

He laughed at the face Tony made at the thought, shaking his head. "And we can't have that, now can we. I like my Tony non-tased."

"And that's why I have to do my work, even if I could be, and would rather be, spending time with you," Tony said, stroking his thumb over the back of Steve's hand.

"If it helps, being apart only makes coming back together sweeter," he pointed out, a cheesy grin on his face though he meant every word.

Tony squeezed his hand, his smile matching Steve's. "I does help. And the folder with pictures and gifs of you that I look at when I have to wait on Jarvis for a few minutes. That helps too."

He quirked an eyebrow, confused. "The folder of pictures and what now?"

Tony tilted his head. Was that something he'd better not have revealed? "Yeah, I look at pictures of you when I'm working. Is that weird?"

"Not really." He shrugged. "I've got one of you and Pete in my wallet. What's a 'gif', though?"

"Oh, that's what confused you. Okay," Tony said. "It's, uh, a moving picture. Kind of like a mini-video."

"Hm.. sounds interesting, you'll have to show me sometime. In the meantime, though," he paused, as the elevator 'dinged, "we've got shopping to do."

"Okay," Tony nodded. "Which car do you want?"

"I don't mind, you can pick," he said with a shrug. "Are you driving or do you want me to?"

"Porsche it is. You drive though, I get distracted when you drive shotgun."

"Alright.." he picked up the keys, walking over there. "But I'm pretty sure you get distracted when you're in shotgun too."

"I do, but we're not in danger of crashing then," Tony pointed out with a grin, getting in his seat.

"You have a point," he conceded, getting in as well and starting it. "Mm.. I have to admit, I love the purr of this engine," he said as he pulled out of the garage.

"See? It's stuff like that you say that distracts me." He put his hand on Steve's thigh. "How can you say that and expect me to think about anything but us, having sex on the hood of this car, with the engine running."

Steve blushed, shrugging. "There's cameras there, though.. and anyone could walk in."

"I'm not saying we should do it, or that it's a good idea, I just think it would be hot and I like to think about it." He shook his head. "I don't know what it is about you with cars that I like so much."

"Mm.. okay, I'll give you that. I don't know why cars get you going, though." He thought for a moment. "Maybe it's the raw power thing?"

Tony shrugged. "I guess," he admitted, then clarified, "Cars alone don't arouse me though, you, honey, have to be in the picture too."

"Good to know you won't be riding off into the sunset with your Ferrari," he teased, chuckling.

"Yeah, no competition there," Tony laughed. The drive to the store wasn't very long, but Tony reached out for the radio anyway. "Driving with music always feels a little like soundtrack in a movie, don't you think?"

"Yeah, especially if the song is meaningful or energetic. What are you putting on?"

"Whatever you like, just say stop," Tony said, switching through the stations. He should really remember to bring some music of his own when they were driving next time.

 "This is nice," he said, referring to a classic rock station. "Think for a sec.. is there anything else we need? I've got coffee, salmon, steak, and potatoes on my list so far. Do we need milk or anything?"

Tony looked puzzled for a second, because he really had no idea what they had or didn't have in the house. "I don't know," he admitted, pulling out his phone. "I could ask someone? Who might know stuff like that? Bruce?"

"Clint would probably know better, or you could ask him to check."

"Alrighty, I'll ask him," Tony said, tapping away on his phone. 

Barton, be a dear and check the fridge for me. Steve and I are going grocery shopping. Do we need anything? -TS

Lucky charms! No.. Really.. We need cereal, milk, fruit, and sweets. - CB

"Cereal, milk, fruit and sweets," Tony read out to Steve. "Clint checked for me." Thanks.

Hey, any way I can make you spill the beans on your and Bruce's date? I even promise not to tell him. -TS

Nope, you suck at secret keeping. We also need juice and protein powder, now that I'm looking. - CB Steve nodded, adding it to his mental list.

"Also, juice and protein powder," Tony added to the list.  "Do you want me to write this down?" 

I do not suck at secret keeping! I didn't tell anyone about Coulson's Captain America pajamas. -TS

"Nope, I'll remember it. Maybe we could get some of those tummies Wade likes, too?" 

You did too, asshole. You told Steve, and it was awkward between those two for days. - CB

"Tummies?" Tony asked quizzically, not coming up with anything Steve might be referring to. 

Steve doesn't count, I tell him everything. We're practically one person. Also, that's no reason to be embarrassed. I'd have Captain America pajamas too, if I wore pajamas. -TS

Tony dropped his phone into his lap for the moment and laughed when it occurred to him. "Did you mean to say gummies, sweetie? Although I'm sure Wade likes tummies too.."

"Yeah, sorry. Don't know how I mixed those up," he said with a chuckle. 

He does too count... how do you not wear pajamas? That's weird. - CB

"Okay, we'll get Wade some _gummies_. Do you know which ones he likes? And Clint wanted sweets too. What kind of candy does _he_ like?" Tony asked.

Most of my life I've only ever slept the barest minimum, so I never saw the point in buying special clothes for that. I just wear boxers or something, and a shirt, so my flash light doesn't bother Steve. Why am I even discussing this with you? -TS

"Wade likes the sour octopus ones, but I don't know about Clint. Ask him?" 

… I have no idea. You should give jammies a try though, they're super comfy. - CB

Maybe, if I find some Captain America themed ones. What kind of candy do you want? -TS

I saw Iron Man ones a couple days ago.. I’ll get you some for your birthday. I want EVERYTHING. - CB 

.... I kid. I like anything sour or anything chocolate. Other than that, no preference. - CB

I'll just grab some stuff then. Or maybe one piece of everything they have, it's not like we're pinched for money. -TS

Maybe not, but don't buy out the store. Please. - CB

..I don't think Steve would let me, so no worries. -TS 

Tony looked up from his phone. "Clint likes anything sour or chocolate. Other than that, no preferences," he told Steve, then tilted his head in thought. "Hey, do you think I should start wearing pajamas?"

Steve looked over at him quizzically. "Uh.. I don't know.. if you want to? Why?"

"Don't ask why, but I just had a discussion about pajamas with Clint. He says they're super comfy and I should start wearing them. He even offered to buy me some, Iron Man theme and all."

"Oh.. uh, if you want to, I guess. I think you might be hot, though, since you aren't used to wearing them."

"Well, if Clint really decides to give me pajamas, I'll give it a shot, at least. They do look cuddly," Tony pointed out. "Hey, it wasn't weird that I told you about Coulson's PJs, right?"

"The whole thing is weird," he said with a red tinge to his cheeks. "It's weird that he has them, it's weird that you know, and it's weird that you felt the need to tell me."

"Well," Tony began, raising his hands apologetically. "I feel the need to tell you pretty much everything. I've never thought of it as a problem. Until now."

"Would you want me to tell you if someone was wearing your faceplate on their ass?"

"I would be very flattered," Tony responded, then added quieter. "And I would want to know when you see someone else's ass."

"I don't, don't worry. Your ass is the only one I look at," he reassured. "I was just making a point."

"I just.. I don't get why it's weird. If I had a pajama, it'd be Captain America themed too," Tony explained. "How is it different than a t-shirt?"

"It wouldn't be weird if it were you, we’re married. Coulson and I, however, are most definitely not." he answered with a shrug. "I can't explain why it's weird to me."

"Alright," Tony conceded, dropping the issue. "But I won't stop telling you stuff. You're my husband, I _want_ to tell you stuff."

That brought a soft smile to his face. "I love it when you say things like that, y'know."

Tony's heart warmed at Steve's smile. "Like what?" he asked, smiling too now.

"Just stupid stuff.. like when Tash gets on you for mooning over me, and you say things like 'he's my husband, I'm allowed to stare at his pecs'.. or when I got hurt, and not even Fury could hold you back.. mostly it's the h-word, but that look in your eyes seals the deal."

"Really? I like saying it too," Tony admitted, smiling with warm surprise. "It feels so possessive, like you belong to me and only me."

"I do." Steve beamed at that. "If I weren't driving, I'd kiss you silly."

"I'd like that. Kiss me silly when we're parked, honey," Tony said and tightened the hand on Steve's thigh affectionately.

"Gladly. How far away are we, dear?" He placed his hand atop Tony's, squeezing gently.

"Depends where you want to go. There's one when you take the next right," Tony reminded him, pointing to the crossroad he was talking about.

"That works." He turned onto that road, making another couple quick turns before he found them a parking spot. "Now.. C'mere, you," he said, pulling Tony close for a searing kiss as soon as they were stopped.

Tony put his hands on either side of Steve's face and closed his eyes in pleasure. "Don't ever stop kissing me like that," he whispered.

He chuckled, smirking. "Just as long as you don't stop kissin' me back, dollface."

"Good, because that will never happen," Tony said and clung to Steve's shoulders.

"Settled, then," he replied, placing his hands on Tony's and squeezing softly. "We'll be kissing each other breathless until we're old and gray."

"I'm old and gray already," Tony pointed out, chuckling. "But let's just keep going until you're old and gray too."

"Psh, you're nowhere near old and gray," he argued. "I'd like to use last night as evidence in my case," he said with a lustful smirk.

"If this weren't a public parking lot, I'd gladly give you a repeat performance right now," Tony replied and ran a hand down Steve's torso.

"I have a feeling you might do it even though it is, with that little exhibitionist streak of yours." He followed Tony's hand with his eyes, fighting not to return the favor.

Tony's hand stilled right above his belt buckle. "Would you let me?" he asked softly, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I-if you want to," he stammered out, inexplicably embarrassed and turned on all at once.

Tony gaped at him. He had been mostly joking, he hadn't expected Steve to actually say _yes_. "Oh god, that's so hot," he breathed, coming back to himself. They could really get into trouble for this. How many people could be grocery shopping on a Sunday afternoon? He looked around.

Steve bit his lip, feeling his face and belly heat up. "I can't decide if it's hot, dangerous, or both.. you doing _that_ in front of all these people..."

"Both, absolutely both." Tony kissed him, before pulling back a little and looking at him intently. "I need you to be aware that if anyone sees us, we might get arrested for this, okay? If you still want to, we'll have to figure out what to do so we don't get caught."

"I think I do.. mm.. I'll play with my phone or something, so it actually looks like I'm doing something instead of having my mind blown."

"Okay," Tony agreed, grinning, and pulled Steve into a kiss by his collar. "I'll get to the blowing part then, shall I?"

Steve nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly in a vain attempt to calm himself down. He pulled his phone out, pretending to do something, he didn't care what.

Tony gave Steve a last smile before dipping his head and bending down over the emergency brake and supporting himself with his elbow on Steve's knee. He unbuckled Steve's pants with sure motions, then pulled the zipper down, settling a warm hand over Steve's crotch. "I take it I'm not the only one with an exhibitionist streak?"

"Mm.." He sighed at the contact, shaking his head. "Didn't know it was there, but apparently you're not."

Tony smiled and sneaked his fingers into the fly to tug Steve's dick out through the open slot. He fit a hand around the base before kissing the head. "Ready, honey?" he asked, before sticking his tongue out and swiping a lick from his fingers to the top.

 "As I can be," he replied breathlessly, threading his fingers through Tony's hair.

Tony flattened his tongue and took Steve in, setting up a passionate rhythm. This was not the place for drawn-out foreplay. He was happy about the fingers in his hair though, blowjobs just got so much more enjoyable when he was getting encouraging, affectionate touches from his partner.

 Steve moaned, doing his best to keep quiet and make it look like something was happening other than him getting his brain sucked out through his dick. Now that they were doing it, he found this all extremely sexy. He wanted nothing more than for them to be alone so he could take things further, and knowing that he just had to sit there and take it made it all that much better.

Tony had thought, almost expected Steve to be nervous, or scared, or tense, but he was _ridiculously_ hard in his mouth and it made Tony feel desperate with want. He bobbed his head, lips tight and moving in a small eight like patterns, trying his best to get Steve off. He pulled back for a second, panting, and took a deep breath. "Imma.. okay?" he announced uselessly, before dipping down again and relaxing his throat as best as he could.

He nodded jerkily, unsure of what exactly Tony was asking but wholeheartedly agreeing regardless. He knew they had to be quick, so he didn't hold himself back; as soon as he felt himself nearing the edge, he let go.

Tony didn't stop moving when he felt Steve pulsating against his tongue, he firmly moved his lips over the sensitive skin, taking Steve in as deep as he could. He fought down a gag reflex, throat clicking, and skipped a couple of breaths, so when Steve came, he could just swallow and wouldn't make a mess.

Steve came hard, pulling Tony's hair loosely as he grit his teeth and tried not to scream his pleasure. "Holy hell, _Tony_!"

Tony pulled back gently, swallowing softly around his empty throat. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and tucked Steve back into his pants, then he straightened his back, groaning. He bit his lip, red and shiny, and smiled at Steve. "Hey, you."

He looked over at Tony, breathless and sated. "Holy shit… we're so not doing that again, because I liked that way, way too much."

Tony tilted his head playfully. "Did you mean: Holy shit, we're _so_ doing that again, because it was awesome?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Pretty sure I meant what I said, doll. Fun as that was, we could get in some serious trouble."

"Fine," Tony said, faking a pout. He'd drop it, for now. Maybe another opportunity would come up in the future. "Can I at least get a kiss here? There's no getting into trouble for that."

"No problem." He leaned in, meeting Tony in the middle with a sigh.

"Give me two minutes to calm myself down and we can go shopping," Tony said, smiling. He grabbed for Steve's hand. "Hey, are you feeling okay with your newly discovered kink? Because if you're a little freaked out or anything, we can talk about it."

"I think I'm alright?" he answered, slightly uncertain. "It's not too abnormal, is it?"

"You're fine," Tony affirmed, stroking his thumb over Steve knuckles. "I think, all things considered, it's actually pretty common? And this was rather tame too, I mean, we could've done a _lot_ more."

"If you're sure." He shrugged, sighing. "I don't wanna get out, though.. my legs feel like jello."

"That good, hmm, honey?" Tony said, hand dropping to stoke his thigh consolingly. He couldn't deny that he was pretty pleased with himself though.

He nodded. "Yep, always is. We should get going, though, despite my bonelessness." He stretched out again, collecting the keys and his phone before he opened the door. "Ready, Tones?"

Tony glanced down at his crotch, and checked his face in the mirror, deeming himself ready. "Yup. Let's go." He got out of the car, walking over to Steve's side to hold his hand.

He laughed quietly, fondly. "You're adorable," he said, swinging their hands gently.

"How so?" Tony asked as they made their way over to the entrance of the store.

He shrugged, steering them toward the produce section once they were inside. "No reason, just you bein' you."


	15. Chapter 15

Tony was pulling their shopping cart after them with one hand and looking around curiously. It took him aback every time he went to a grocery store _how many different things they sold_. "So, what are we getting first?"

"Potatoes and fruit. Then we'll get candy, then sweets, then protein powder, then meat last to minimize the chance of it going bad before we get home. It shouldn't, but we should err on the safe side."

"Alrighty, I like this one," Tony announced with a smile and started dropping random fruits into their cart.

"Do you even know what you're picking up?" he asked, laughing.

"I've seen them before," Tony replied breezily. Perks of being a billionaire celebrity was that you got invited to _a lot_ of expensive parties, that happened to serve all kinds of exotic fruits. "Or are we looking for something in particular? I can put them back."

"No, they're all fine, you were just tossing things into the cart and it looked totally random. You should get some blueberries, though." He shifted things around a bit, so the produce wouldn't get accidentally bruised.

Tony smiled sheepishly. It had admittedly been a little random. He picked up a box of blueberries and handed them to Steve, so he could put them in a safe place in the cart. "Do you want any kind I haven't taken yet?"

Steve set the blueberries down on top, thinking for a moment. "Do you see any pomegranates? I don't think they'll be in season for another couple weeks or so, but I've been looking for one."

"We could fly somewhere where they are in season and buy some," Tony suggested. He tilted his head, thinking. "I might even make it back before dinner if I take the suit."

"No, no, I can wait," he assured with a grin. "It's sweet that you'd do that, though."

"I'd do a lot more than buy exotic fruit for you, love," Tony said, waving over a shop assistant to ask for pomegranates.

"It's just fruit, babe. I promise I'll be fine until it comes back in season," he protested, not wanting him to make a fuss.

Tony made a pout. "If you're sure," he said and dismissed the assistant with a wave of his hand. "Let's get you something else that's cool then. What do you want?"

"Strawberries sound nice... maybe some oranges?" He looked around for a moment, seeing what they had. "Oh, and some of those honeycrisp apples?"

Tony pounced around the produce section, picking up everything Steve mentioned. When he returned to put them in the cart, he leaned up to get a kiss from Steve. "This is more fun then I remember. Do they always have so much stuff?"

He laughed again, leaning in to meet him with a sweet kiss. "Yes, having lots of selection is kind of the point of going to the store."

"There's lots of selection on the internet too, but here you can _touch_ stuff," Tony said with marvel and poked his finger into a tomato.

"Tony," he admonished fondly. "Now we have to buy that… did you have to squish it?"

Tony made a surprised face and raised his hands defensively. "It wasn't on purpose. They're like, super soft, beyond ripe kind of squishy. Not my fault."

"Oh.." He pulled a frown. "Yuck. Sorry."

"Don't apologize, honey," Tony said and rubbed Steve's elbow softly. He put the carton with the damaged tomato into their cart. "See? I'll buy it."

"Can you grab another carton that has some ripe ones, too?" He shifted things around again, so that the broken tomato wouldn't spoil any of the others.

"Sure," Tony nodded and obeyed. He considered talking to someone about the bad tomatoes they had here, but feared that if he made a big deal out of it, it would spoil his and Steve's trip.

"Thanks, love. Now.. on to the sweets? Or should we get the meat next?"

"Sweets," Tony singsonged, because it sounded more interesting, and sweets didn't need to be cooled.

He chuckled, nodding. "Alrighty then, sweets it is. Is there anything you want, or are we just getting gummies for Wade and sweets for Clint?"

Tony made a face. If he didn't buy anything for himself, he wouldn't miss it, but if he did, it'd probably be eaten by bedtime tonight. "I shouldn't," he said, uncertainly.

"If you want something, you should get it. It's not like it would hurt. Maybe a little extra sugar, but I can think of a way to help you burn that off," he said with a smirk.

"Is that a promise?" Tony asked and grinned, shifting himself next to Steve with the cart. "I suppose I could use a little extra energy then."

Steve nudged him playfully, giving him a lustful look. "Promise, doll."

 Tony hooked his elbow under Steve's arm. "I like it when you call me doll."

Steve quirked an eyebrow at him. "Hm? Why's that?"

"Dunno, it sounds affectionate." He shrugged. "I guess I just like the sound. It's cute. Maybe I should start calling _you_ doll."

"It's affectionate, yeah. You can call me whatever you like, just as long as you call me yours," he said, both serious and teasing.

"I think I'll stick to honey for now," Tony said. "I like that one best."

"I like 'em all, especially love. I like calling you doll, though; it sorta makes your eyes light up and I can't really get enough of that," he admitted with a shy smile.

"'Love' is for special occasions, honey," Tony said with a wink, tender expression in his eyes. "To me, at least."

"Mm, but what about the fact that I love you all the time?"

Tony smiled, stopping in their walk and pulled Steve in for a gentle kiss. "Me too, love."

Steve smiled brightly into the kiss, running his finger through Tony's hair for a moment. He pulled back after not long enough in his opinion, but he didn't want to get them into any trouble with the store. "Good god, you're amazing."

Tony bit his lip and blushed. "I don't know about that, but I'm glad you think so." Steve's was pretty much the only opinion that mattered to him anyway.

"You know you are, to me anyway. Anyone would have to be to put up with me," he pointed out.

"You make it very easy to put up with you," Tony told him, starting to push their cart again.

"Oh really? How so?" He pauses, taking a box of cookies off of the shelf and depositing them in the cart before continuing.

"Just.. You're a delight to be around, a perfect roommate." He smiled, looking around the aisle for something he might like. "My _best friend_. And-" He paused and leaned closer with a grin to whisper in his ear. "And the sex is really, really good."

Steve's cheeks flushed, but he bit his lip around a grin. "I agree.. I mean, I feel the same way about you. All of that."

"And you're a wonderful father to our son," Tony added, putting a hand on Steve's chest. "It touches my heart every time I see you two."

Steve covered Tony's hand with his own, grinning. "I can't get over how you are with Pete, it's like you both bring out the best in each other. And watching you teach him something is absolutely amazing."

Tony's heart lurched in his chest at how fiercely he loved this man and he was sure the corners of his smile were touching his ears. "If you weren't my husband already, I'd ask you to marry me right now."

"If you weren't my husband already, I'd say yes." He felt that funny warmth in his chest grow bigger, as it usually did when Tony was around. "I'd also kiss you senseless."

"Let's do that when we get home, okay? In fact, let's grab some more sweets and the meat and head home, hm?"

"Sounds like a plan. Now.. did you see anything you liked?" he asked, spotting Wade's gummies and tossing them into the cart.

Tony shrugged. The most brand names meant nothing to him. He grabbed for a bag of nougat candies. "I like nougat, I think these will do. Do you want to veto? Since I'm really looking forward to the kissing-senseless business."

"Nope, I like nougat just fine. Chocolate nougat, right?" he asked, looking a bit closer.

"Yup," Tony nodded and put the bag with their other purchases. "I hope you realize that I'll be done with these by tonight."

"That's fine... Like I said, burning them off won't be a problem." He threw a sly smirk Tony's way, heading toward the meat section.

Tony followed after him with a mirthful grin - he could think of a few things that would burn a lot of calories on his part. "I guess you'll have to let me do all the work then tonight, are you okay with that?"

"Can't say I can argue with it. I also think we should definitely be very, very thorough."

"Yeah," Tony agreed, walking beside Steve with a hand on the small of his back. "Wouldn't want to put on any weight at my age, who knows if I'll ever lose it!"

"I have a feeling you get regular enough exercise to counteract anything like that," he teased. "And what do you mean by age? I'm far older than you."

"And I have you to thank for that," Tony grinned. "And I mean _body_ age, honey."

"I have it on good authority that you are in peak physical condition, Tones." He gave him a thorough appraising look,  totally unabashed.

"Thank you, dear," Tony smiled up at him. "Your opinion is the only one that counts. It's all for you anyway."

Steve blushed, but grinned as he dropped a kiss on Tony's cheek. "Stop that. Next thing I know you'll be making me feel all important."

"And we can't have that now, can we?" Tony joked before standing on his tiptoes to speak comfortably into Steve's ear. "I'll tell you a secret, love. You are important. In fact, you're the most important person in the world."

"I don't know about that.. I think I could deal with being the most important person in _your_ world, though. You've had that spot in mine for a long while."

"Oh Steve," Tony said longingly and resisted the strong urge to drape himself all over his husband and kiss him until they got thrown out of the store. "You really need to find that meat you need, because I need us to have some privacy asap."

"The only meat I need is yours," he muttered tastelessly under his breath, but headed over to the steak section nonetheless, picking out enough KC Strip for the family. He then moved over to the fish, picking out a nice selection of salmon filets. "Oh, shoot.. we still need the protein powder," he said with a frown. "It'll be fine, we just have to be quick."

Tony giggled behind a hand and followed after him. "It can't be that hard to find," he said, looking around. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to even start searching.

"Go left," he said with a chuckle. "Then head over to the pharmacy section, it's just before that."

"I'm blaming you if I get lost," Tony told him before taking off into the specified direction. If couldn't be that hard to navigate around a grocery store. Tony smiled at a kid that was watching him from his stroller.

Steve followed after him with a smile, wondering if he actually knew what protein powder looked like in a non-bulk quantity. "I won't let you get lost," he replied with a chuckle.

"Good, because it'd be really embarrassing if they had to call out for you, like: 'Little Tony has lost his parents. You can pick him up at the service desk.'"

"Mm, yes, but if you get lost, how would you find your way to the service desk?"

"I would just make a mess and some noise and someone would _take_ me to the service desk," Tony explained, grinning mischievously.

"Must you wreak havoc everywhere you go?" he teased.

"Well, it's a good thing I have you to balance me out," Tony said. "Otherwise I might already have made a mess when we were looking at the tomatoes."

"True. I'm lucky you didn't try to juggle them or something," he pointed out, laughing slightly.

"Not literally a mess," Tony grinned, although the idea of juggling tomatoes did appeal to him. "I would've complained to someone, and we both know me, so it would've ended with me having to buy this store in order to avoid a lawsuit."

"And how many properties do you own due to circumstances such as that?"

 Tony laughed. "I have no idea. Pepper might, if you're really interested. I usually write them over to the company as soon as I can, so Pepper can do some clever business stuff with them."

"I'm not all that interested," he answered with a shrug. "Just curious- ah, here we go," he said, picking up the protein powder and placing it in the cart with the rest. "Alrighty.. anything else you can think of before we head home?"

Tony pulled his phone out, scrolling through Clint's texts. "Juice, milk, and cereal," he read out.

"Oh, dang, we actually forgot quite a bit. Well, juice and milk will be on the same aisle, and we can get cereal on the way there." He turned around, heading that direction. "Do you remember what kind he likes?"

"Lucky charms, I think. I swear, this guy is twelve inside," Tony replied, smiling.

"Alrighty then, lucky charms.." he said, pulling two boxes of them off of the shelf. "And what kind of juice, do you know?"

Tony shook his head. "He didn't say. Just get what you like?"

"Sounds good, I guess. Is orange okay?" he asked, heading toward the back, where all of the cold stuff was.

"Sounds good to me," Tony agreed, trailing after him with eyes on the products on display, curiously studying the things that caught his eye.

"Okay, orange.. and maybe some apple," he said, picking those up once they got there. "Lastly, milk."

"If I just think about carrying all that stuff up the tower," Tony groaned, picking a handful of flashcards off a 'special offer' shelf to play around with at home. Peter had (unintentionally) given him a few ideas last night.

"It's only going to be a few bags, you big baby," he teased with a grin. "And it's not like you have to carry them up stairs."

"Well, no, but I have to carry them to the elevator, which totally counts. I think I'll just get the suit and fly them up. That'd be so much easier."

"The car gets parked all of ten feet from the elevator, if that. And I'll be helping."

Tony stuck his tongue out at him. "We can't all have super-strength. Some of us prefer to be lazy."

"I'm well aware of your penchant for laziness," he replied, placing the milk in the cart and turning around to head to the checkout.

"And yet you still love me," Tony pointed out, falling into step beside him. "Can I get you anything, honey? Doritos? Gum? Anything at all you like but aren't self-indulgent enough to buy?"

"Always have, always will," he agreed. "I don't think so, no. And what would I want but not be willing to buy?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Like, for example, I wouldn't have bought myself sweets if you hadn't asked me. Or maybe you are desperately longing for on of those ridiculously overpriced sodas with fancy colors, but you tell yourself, no, Steven, you don't really need that."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Okay, I see what you mean, but I'm fine, really. Nothing here that particularly catches my fancy."

Tony nudged his side playfully. "Not even me?"

"Yes, you, but I'm _definitely_ self-indulgent enough to let myself have you."

"Lucky me," Tony singsonged and pulled Steve over to a checkout lane with a relatively short line. "Oh, look," Tony said and pointed to one of the magazines they had propped up there with the Avengers on the cover.

Steve started loading things on and looked over at it absently. "Another gossip rag, seriously? Why do they always get it wrong? Clint is definitely _not_ with Bruce, I don't know where they come up with this stuff."

"Clint is not with Bruce _yet_ ," Tony pointed out in a low voice. He picked up the magazine and checked the date. It was brand new, published this morning, and he was pleased to see that there were no pictures or mention of any kind of their family dinner last night.

"True, yes, but they're always so presumptuous! I'd just like to let those two come together themselves, without people thinking it's some sort of publicity stunt."

Tony shrugged. Even though he agreed with Steve, he had long gotten used to that kind of attention. "You're right, sweetie, but don't let it get to you. It doesn't matter what they write."

"I s'pose you're right," he conceded with a sigh as the cashier started to ring them up. "I just don't like it, that's all."

Tony put the magazine back before they would charge him for it. "I know," he sighed sympathetically and would have taken his hand if the hadn't been busy pulling out his wallet and fiddling for a card to pay with.

Steve moved around Tony to start picking up the bags. He'd have protested, tried to pay for the groceries, but he knew he'd get nowhere in that argument.

When they were all set and Tony had pocketed their sales slip and his wallet again, he looked at all the bags in Steve's arms uncertainly. "Which ones do you want me to carry?"

"I'm fine carrying them to the car," he said with a shrug. "It's only a short walk."

Tony smiled happily. "You're my hero," he said, putting a hand on Steve's back. "Driving me here, buying me sweets, carrying the bags."

"Oh, well if I'd know it was that easy…" he teased, smiling.

"A true gentleman," Tony finished, grinning. "Then again, I already knew that, and you've been my hero for a long time, Steve."

"I have no idea how I live up to your standards sometimes, but I'm glad I do." He smiled bigger, fishing the keys out of his pocket and popping the trunk open.

"You're pretty much all my standards consist of," he pointed out in reply, already getting in his seat.

He joined Tony once the bags were loaded, starting the car with another grin at the sound of the engine. "Good to know I won't have competition, then."

Tony just smiled at him and waited for him to navigate the car out of their parking spot to move his hand to his leg. 


	16. Chapter 16

The radio was playing some classic rock song, and Tony leaned back in his seat contently. "How often do you go shopping?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "Every other week, maybe? Depends on how much food I need and how many people I feed."

Tony nodded in acknowledgment. Maybe he would join him sometimes, if he could spare the time. He thought of something and frowned. "Is Wade going back to school with Peter tomorrow? Since he officially 'moved away'."

"Hmm.. Good  question, I don't actually know. Depends on his age, too. If he's under eighteen and not emancipated, he'd need parents to sign him back up." He frowned as well, thinking it over.

Tony shrugged. He actually didn't know much about Wade's family. He kind of feared he didn't have one. "If that's the case and he wants to go back, I'm sure we could work something out. I'll ask when we get home."

"Good idea… come to think of it, though, have we ever heard him mention parents or anything of the sort?"

Tony sighed heavily. "That's what worries me. Do you think he has anyone?"

"I don't... he's got us and Pete, though. We can be enough, can't we?"

"That's up to him more than us, I'd say, but I'd sure be willing to try and be that for him."

"That's true. I wouldn't want to force it on him if he doesn't want it." He sighed. "I hate that any kid would be put through hat he's gone through, though. I wish I could help them all."

"The people with the Maria Stark Foundation do a lot of work in that area," Tony reminded Steve. A considerable part of their income was directed especially at all kinds of projects the Foundation got involved in. "Wade though, he's a good kid, he doesn't deserve any of this. If there's something we can do for him, we should do it." He looked up carefully at Steve. "I don't know if this applies to him even at all, but if he needs it, we should consider applying for legal guardianship for Wade."

"Oh.. I’d forgotten," he admitted. "That makes me feel a smidge better.. but there are still so many kids that will end up not getting what they need." He sighed again, lamenting the fact that it was even a problem. "You're right. And if he needed it, I wouldn't hesitate for a second."

"You can't save everybody, even if you're Captain America, love. I wish it was different," Tony said. No matter how many people they helped, there would always be someone left that was in trouble. It was a sad truth. "We'll ask. Maybe he doesn't even need it."

"I wish it were, too. I'm glad the Foundation at least makes a dent. And he may not, but I want him to know we're here. We can ask," he agreed. "We should get away sometime. Somewhere warm," he said, in attempt to discuss a lighter topic.

Tony sighed. "Oh that would be great," he agreed, remembering their conversation about the topic a few days ago. "Us and the kids, the beach, swim trunks. The sun. I could _really_ use a tan."

"I _do_ love the way you look with a tan. Is that actually possible for us anytime soon, barring any villains?"

"It _is_ Easter at the end of this month, which would give us.. four or five days for a short holiday, with Pete and Wade not having to go to school. What do you think?" Tony suggested, counting the days with his fingers.

"That would work, and that gives us enough time to get things ready. Where would we go?" He looked over at Tony at a stoplight, curious.

"We can go absolutely everywhere we want, if we rent something. Or, we could use the house in Malibu. Do you have somewhere in mind?"

"Nowhere specific," he said, shrugging a bit. "Just somewhere warm, safe, and private, where I can be with my family."

Tony's expression softened and squeezed his hand on Steve's thigh. "Wherever we end up going, I look forward to it. A lot. Maybe the boys have somewhere they want to go."

"I look forward to it too," he replied with a sincere smile. "We can ask them, but if they've got no preference, the Malibu house would be fine. It's got good security, right?"

"The best," Tony nodded. "And a part of the beach belongs to me, so we can have some privacy." It sounded heavenly to Tony.

Steve smiled brightly. "That would work amazingly. Now we just need to run it by the boys," he said, slowing down so they could turn into the garage.

"I don't think any teenager would turn down the chance of a beach holiday." He remembered Peter when he was younger, enthusiastically running around in the sand and building structurally sound sand castles with Tony.

"I'd have to agree with you there. Remember last time we were thinking about it, and brought it up at dinner? He was packed for weeks," he reminisced with a smile.

"Well at least the wait isn't that long this time." He'd have to inform Pepper and they'd have to talk to Fury about taking a few days off. They'd say yes, or Tony would make them. "I bet we could even go surfing if we wanted to."

"That's true. It's what, two weeks? Three?" He chuckled. "Do you remember what happened last time Pete tried to surf? He couldn't stay up for ten seconds."

Tony laughed. "He's bigger now, maybe he wants to try again. Remind me to bring a video camera, it would be a shame to not have it on tape."

"Definitely. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise us with some newfound coordination?"

Tony looked dubious, but smiled. "Who knows? He's young, it could still happen. And even if it doesn't, as long as he has fun I'm happy. And will keep a camera within reach."

Steve pulled into this particular car's designated spot, parking carefully. "Agreed. We've all been stressed lately, this sounds like exactly what we need."

"Yeah," Tony agreed, getting out of the car and opening the trunk. "Here we go," he sighed. "Jarvis, elevator doors open, please."

Steve laughed quietly at Tony's reluctance, following him and taking his share of the bags. “It’s just groceries, dear," he reminded as they walked to the elevator.

"I know, but the milk and juice are kind of heavy," he said over his shoulder, heaving the bags into the elevator and setting them on the floor. He left the elevator to close the trunk and lock up the car, putting the keys in their proper place before joining Steve in the elevator again.

"Alright, I'll give you that." He set his load down for a moment, leaning over to give Tony a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you for coming with me, it was really nice," he murmured, grinning.

Tony smiled softly. "I liked it too," he said, trailing a hand up Steve's arm to stroke his thumb over his cheekbone. "And not just the blowie in the parking lot, the shopping was fun."

He blushed but nodded, and leaned into Tony's touch. "That was definitely an added bonus."

"I distinctly remember that I was promised I’d be kissed senseless," Tony said, leaning up slightly.

"That you were," he noted, and did just that. He backed Tony up to the wall of the elevator, and tangled his fingers in the engineer's hair.

 Tony closed his eyes in appreciation and kissed him back, slowly but determinedly. He wrapped his arms around Steve's neck, one hand gently cradling the base of his skull and moaned softly.

Steve smiled into it, but kissed him even harder, pressing him up against the elevator wall. "Damn.. love kissing you, doll."

"And I love when you kiss me," Tony mirrored his words and gently scratched the back of Steve's neck. He let himself be held against the wall, loosening his knees to give up some of his weight, fully letting himself fall into the moment.

He groaned, nipping at Tony's lip and hitching him up slightly onto his hips. "Mm.. You better calm down. I'm getting' all worked up and this elevator ride will only be so long."

"Hm yeah," Tony replied, but completely ignored the content of his statement, instead pulling Steve closer by a hand on his nape.

He sighed contentedly, loving the warmth of Tony's hand. "You're incorrigible," he muttered when they parted for air.

"Only because you're irresistible," Tony told him with a smile and gave him one last peck when the elevator doors slid open. "We're here."

"Stop that, flatterer," he replied with a blush and a matching grin as he bent down to pick up his share of the bags.

"Alright.. let's get these to the kitchen. The boys are probably still sleeping, so we should try to be quiet."

"How long are they going to sleep?" Tony shook his head, disbelieving. "One would think that they'd get hungry eventually, but no- skipping breakfast, lunch, and if they keep going, dinner too." He carried the bags after Steve.

"Maybe they're just relishing the chance to sleep in, since they're off school." He shrugged. "Should we wake them up?"

Tony shrugged. "Nah, let them waste their youth in bed. They'll get up eventually. If they're not up already," he pointed out, because what did they know? They only just came home.

Steve nodded, setting his bags down on the counter and starting to put them away. "You've got a point there."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who lost the external hard drive that had this on it? I'm so sorry everyone, I'm awful for letting it go this long. However, I've learned my lesson and this is now saved in multiple places.

Wade awoke like the highly trained professional he was, unmoving and faking sleep, silently assessing his surroundings for any threats. He could hear nothing out of the ordinary, just soft breathing that tickled his collarbone. He smiled and opened his eyes a fraction to look at Peter, relaxed and peaceful, with his hair in wild disarray on his head. He shifted his arm slightly, and it sent soft sparks of pain through it, like pins and needles, where blood started flowing properly again.

Peter stirred at both Wade's movement and the sound of his fathers putting their groceries away. However, he was certainly not a morning person (despite the fact that it was after noon) and as such, didn't wake up easily. He groaned slightly, turning over and burrowing into Wade's shoulder in a vain attempt to block out the light.

Wade stilled, not making any noise so Peter could doze for a little while longer. Not because when Peter woke up he would get up and that would be.. well. A shame. Still, it wouldn't be long until he would fully wake up, so Wade enjoyed the feeling of Peter cuddling with him while he could.

Peter grinned sleepily against Wade's skin, glad for the chance to wake up slowly. He drifted for a few minutes longer, relishing the feeling of Wade's arm around him. However, he knew Wade didn't generally get back to sleep once he was up, so he decided he'd probably better start to get up as well. He stretched out his muscles a bit, letting out a small groan of satisfaction as he did. "Mm.. you're warm," he muttered, his voice scratchy from sleep.

"You're snuggly," Wade croaked in reply, and tightened his arm around him affectionately. Beyond being all cute and comfy in his arms, Wade felt incredibly comforted by his presence, like nothing bad could ever happen to him. "Don't get up," he whispered, a little desperately.

"I am, am I?" he chuckled. "Mm.. I won't. Who'd want to, with you all sweet and sleepy like this?" He closed his eyes again, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Ooh, you smell nice," he realized.

"Who are you calling sweet?" Wade joked softly. He brought a hand up to brush a messy strand of hair from Peter's forehead. "I smell like the soap you keep in your guest bathroom," he said, smiling gently.

"Well you, of course." He smiled again, still soft and sleepy, and leaned slightly into Wade's touch. "Yeah, it's that, but you also smell like.. like.. just _Wade_. I dunno what it is, but it's you and it's amazing."

Wade felt a little too happy-warm at that. "You're on crack" he said, a bit embarrassed. His last shower had been almost a day ago. "But I'll take the compliment, thanks," he added softer. "You smell nice too." He always did, to Wade.

"Am not," he protested, smacking his arm playfully. "It's normal, it's a psychological thing or something. Makes me feel safe," he said, his cheeks tinging red. "But I know _you_ must be lying, because I smell like sleep and grossness and I seriously need a shower."

Makes me want to keep you safe, Wade's mind supplied helpfully and he smiled somewhat dopily. "I slept too, you know, I smell the same," he pointed out. "You don't smell like 'grossness', don't be ridiculous." Or maybe he was just psychologically conditioned to like Peter's scent.

"Mm.. stop being all nice like that or you'll make me want to kiss you," he threatened teasingly. "And you definitely don't smell the same."

 Wade's heart was suddenly tap dancing in his chest. He's just teasing, he isn't serious, he reminded himself. Still, he couldn't stop his gaze from dropping to Peter's lips for a second and he swallowed dryly. "What, with our morning breath?" he joked nervously.

Peter definitely didn't miss the way Wade's sight jumped, or the slight catch in his voice. "Well we've already discussed how we smell, I don't think taste would be too much of a deterrent. Especially with you; I don't really think I'd care all that much."

_Especially with you_ , Wade repeated in his mind and smiled. "Maybe it's psychological," he said softly. "When you l-.. trust someone above everyone else, nothing is bad." He threaded his fingers through Peter's hair, gently.

"Yeah... it seems like everything is nicer with you around. "Peter smiled brightly, loving the feel of Wade's hand through his hair. "Wade.. what were you gonna say before trust?" he asked, hoping the other boy wouldn't deny he'd said anything.

Wade stilled, eyes wide and mind blank of any excuses. He hadn't thought Peter had caught that little slip-up. "Uh." He could just play it safe and make something up, such as 'like'. 'Like' was safe, it was nice and completely non-threatening. Or he could tell Peter that he loved him, because _of course_ he loved Peter, but they had been dancing around each other for so long, he was scared that it would freak him out. Or that Peter didn't return his feelings and things would be forever awkward between them. "I don't want to say the wrong thing," he said quietly.

Peter frowned a bit when he saw the slight panic flit across Wade's face, and didn't know what he'd done to cause it. He'd never hurt Wade, emotionally or physically, so the other boy's obvious conflict worried him. "You can't say anything wrong. Promise." He thought for a moment, smirking. "Well, actually, I guess it would be weird if you were to say lick," he teased, hoping to ease Wade's nerves.

Wade's anxiety eased a little. If Peter was joking around, that probably meant he hadn't actually any idea what Wade had accidentally almost said. "Why? You have a problem with me licking you?" he asked with a crooked grin and stuck his tongue out. "C'mere." The hand in Peter's hair slid down to his nape and tried to pull him towards him.

Peter squirmed, laughing and half-trying to get away. "Eww, Wade germs!" He ducked under the covers, using them as a shield. Then, once he was safely covered up, he went in for Wade's side where Peter knew he was extremely ticklish.

"So kissing's okay but licking's-" He broke off in a high-pitched cry when Peter's hand found his side and he doubled over with a wheezing laugh. "S-Stop that," he gasped, trying to shield himself with his arms, but he couldn't get a proper grasp on Peter under the covers. "Have mercy! Someone help me!"

Peter laughed harder, merciless in his assault for as long as he could hold it. He had to break free from the covers after a minute or two though, as it was getting hot and a bit hard to breathe. "Kissing's fine," he agreed, breathless from his laughter. "Licking, though.. tongues weird me out," he said with a shrug.

Wade watched him carefully, keeping his hands raised to defend himself against tickling attacks again if he needed to, but nodded and stored that piece of information about Peter in his head. Should Peter and he really end up _together_ at some point, him being bothered by tongues just wouldn't do. "You're so weird," he said with a fond grin, slowly dropping his defenses again.

Peter huffed, cheeks tinging. "Am not." It wasn't that tongues weirded him out, really.. they just made his gut feel all funny and fluttery like it always did when he was around Wade for too long. He stretched out again, flexing unused muscles with a happy little sigh before he brought his hand up and rested his head on it. "I'm really, really happy you're here," he said quietly, after a short lull.

"Get used to it," Wade replied in a low voice, laying his head down on the pillow and looking up at Peter. He regarded him unhurriedly, gaze gentle and thoughtful. "Me too, I'm happy," he broke the silence eventually. Happier than he had thought he'd ever be again.

Peter studied Wade's face for a moment, finding that he was actually telling the truth. Before, Peter was worried that the other boy was just saying that to placate his worries. Now, though, he was confident that Wade's words were sincere. 'God, I wanna kiss you,' he thought, biting his lip in an attempt to rein the feeling in.

Wade noticed the slight change in expression. "What're you thinking about?" he asked quietly, curiously, as he brought a hand up to Peter's face and pressed the tip of his index finger to the tiny crease between Peter's brows.

Peter went cross-eyed for a moment when he followed Wade's finger, but then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Just.. I just want to do something, that's all."

Wade tilted his head. "Why don't you?" he asked, trailing his finger over Peter's brow and down the side of his face to tickle his cheek with a soft smile.

"Scared, I guess…" Of changing things, of being rejected, of a lot of things. Mostly, he was worried that he wouldn't be good enough for Wade.

Wade nodded understandingly. "Okay. I get that. Just, if you need any help, or if you want to talk about it, I'm here," he offered. If Peter didn't want to tell him, that was fine, not everything was made to be shared, but he would try to be supportive anyway.

Wade's response reminded Peter that really, he had nothing to be afraid of. Even if it didn't 'work', Wade would still love him afterward, platonically or otherwise. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confession. "I want to kiss you," he muttered quietly, looking away.

Wade swallowed thickly, blinking around his wide eyes. "Uh," he managed intelligently, his hand still hovering in the air next to Peter's face. Peter wanted to kiss him. Peter wanted to kiss him, seriously, and he was scared to do it? Like Wade would ever say no. "Yeah," he said, throat tight. "I mean, yes, please."

Peter smiled brightly and let out a sharp sigh of relief, but only lasted as long as it took for him to close the distance between himself and wade, kissing him nervously but eagerly.

"Oh," Wade sighed softly when their lips met and his eyes closed almost of their own account. He cupped Peter's jaw with his raised hand and pushed himself up on his elbow to get closer, heart beating high in his throat and a fiercely blissful feeling rising in his chest.

Peter felt warmth well up in his chest to the point of nearly bursting, and he matched Wade's sigh as he closed his eyes. When they pulled back for air, his grin damn near leapt off his cheeks. "Holy shit."

"Holy shit," Wade whispered and his hand slid from Peter's jaw to his shoulder as he leaned his forehead against Peter's. He smiled and opened his eyes, a happy, laughing sound bubbling from his lips. That had been amazing, more than he could've ever dreamed up in his fantasies. He felt so _good_ , he just wanted to hold Peter close forever and never let him go.

"So glad we did that," he said, inching closer to him. "I'd just like to mention, and I hope this doesn't weird you out, but you taste _great_." He moved in, laying his head on Wade's chest a bit.

"I know you, Peter, you couldn't weird me out if you tried," Wade said and let himself sink back into the mattress, pulling Peter with him so he could touch him and run distracted fingers through his hair.

Peter let out a contented little sigh, leaning into Wade's touch. "Do we have to get up?" He asked, fake-whining. "I like laying here with you."

"Mmh," Wade agreed, looking around a bit to see if he could find out what time it was without moving. He was getting kind of hungry, but decided the left over popcorn that had spent the night in bed with them and was now scattered pretty much all over Wade's side would do just fine. He picked up a piece and held it up for Peter to see. "Lunch?" he asked with a grin.

Peter shrugged, tipping his head up to take the popcorn out of Wade's fingers with his teeth. "Delicious. And, you solved my not-moving problem. Wade Wilson; Genius of Laziness." He smirked, chuckling.

"Thank you, I try very hard," he replied, grinning, and picked up some more popcorn for himself. He found the remote next to his pillow. "Want to finish the movie?" he asked.

"Mm.. Sure, why not. If my dads haven't woken us up yet and it's almost… uh.." He paused, looking over at the clock on his nightstand. "Damn, it's after one. If my dads haven't been in then we're probably fine to stay in here."

Wade nodded. He had heard noises from the kitchen earlier, so _someone_ must be up, and knowing Tony never slept much and Steve usually rose early he had figured it had been them. He looked over to the door. "Uh," he said, after a moment. "I think they've been in here."

"Why do you say tha- ohh," he said, following Wade's glance. "Ugh, they are going to give us hell for this.. not that I minded sleeping next to you, not at all, but I bet they've got pictures and everything."

"Pictures?" Wade repeated disbelievingly. Oh god, Peter's parents were so messed up in some ways. "They really enjoy torturing you, don't they?" he said with a sigh, letting himself fall back onto the pillow. "Why would they even sneak in here?"

"Yep, pictures. And they've made embarrassing me a professional sport, practically." He sighed. "I don't even think they were sneaking in.. if they're up, they were probably going to wake us up but didn't once they saw how we were sleeping."

Wade sighed. That was almost.. sweet. "Oh well," he said. "Nothing we can do about it now. Do we need anything from the store?"

"It sounds like they're already back," he replied after listening for a moment. "However.." he smirked. "We could say we need lube and condoms just to watch the look on my dad's face."

"I think your Dad would take it in stride, your Pops is who I'm worried about," Wade grinned. "I'm actually surprised they haven't put some on the bedside table yet, after you made that joke with Clint last night."

"It's the other way around, actually. Pops doesn't care as long as I'm being safe and as long as I'm happy. Dad, however, is ridiculously protective for someone of his reputation."

Wade chuckled. "Okay, I guess I can picture that." He shrugged. He looked at Peter's bright brown eyes and his sweet smile. "I understand it, even. You're his precious little boy, if I were your father, you wouldn't be leaving this tower until you're thirty. At least."

"I can't decide if that's sweet or weird.. let's go with sweet." He smiled, biting his lip as he looked up at Wade. "I'm glad you understand.. my parents are weird and it takes a special kind of patient to deal with that."

Even Wade could admit that it was weird. Yup, definitely weird, but what the hell, Steve and Tony couldn't be the only ones who were protective. "I think your parents are very cool," he admitted. "A little over the top, but very nice." Somebody else might have pressed charges when they found him hiding in their house, let alone taken him in and given him a room of his own.

"Yeah, I lucked out in the parental lottery. They love me, they'd never do a thing to harm me, and they just want me to be happy, which includes letting me keep you. More than I could've asked for when they adopted me, and more than most kids get from their biological parents." He grinned brightly, finding Wade's hand and tangling their fingers together.

Wade smiled at their linked hands and began gently stroking with his thumb. It must feel great to be supported and cared for so unconditionally. "They really are one of a kind," he smiled.

 "Yep.. y'know, they love you too," he said seriously. "They're not just putting up with you for my sake."

 Wade realized of course that over time Peter's parents had taken a certain liking to him, but to say that they loved him seemed a little exaggerated. If Peter weren't around, he doubted that they would care about him very much. At least not more than they generally cared about others, the good people that they were. Not that he would deserve anything else. "I don't know about that," he replied, "But I'm very grateful for their kindness. I owe them a lot." And he would pay them back, as soon as he could think about taking another job without getting nauseous or launching head on into a panic attack.

 "I know they do. Promise," he insisted. "And you don't owe them anything. They probably wouldn't take it if you tried," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, that sounds like something they'd do," he relented. He would try and make amends anyway, to them, and most of all to Peter. He brought his and Peter's hand up to his face and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "I don't want to leave this bed ever."

Peter smiled shyly. "I think showering might get awkward," he teased.

"I thought you said I didn't smell bad?" Wade replied, mock-appalled. "But okay, I'll get up eventually."

"You don't, I promise, and I don't want to get up either." He stroked Wade's hand with his thumb, grinning. "I do happen to like laying here with you."

"Okay, but I bet you'd like showering with me too," Wade said, chuckling. "I like laying here with you too. You're like the comfiest bed partner ever, and giving out kisses and cuddles!"

Peter laughed. "Alright, that could be arranged. I didn't realize I was so advantageous to sleep with slash under.. if it helps, I get my kisses and cuddles right back," he pointed out with a smile.

Wade lowered his head, grinning shyly before looking at Peter through his lashes. "Would you like one more?"

"Well how could I say no when you're asking like that?" He tipped his head up, looking at Wade with eyes full of love.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit long, but I couldn't find a good place to break it.

"C'mere, you," Wade whispered softly, bringing his free hand up to Peter's neck, while leaning forward to meet his lips. His eyes shifted between Peter's lips and the rich brown of his eyes.

Peter smiled into their kiss, even going so far as to nip Wade's lip playfully. His hand moved up to the side of Wade's face and he stroked softly over Wade's cheek, humming appreciatively every now and then.

"Peter," Wade moaned softly into his mouth and he scooted up further on the bed. "Why haven't we done this before?"

He shrugged, looking away. "I don't know. Scared, I guess."

Wade bit his lip. "Me too," he admitted. "I didn't know.. if you were interested in me like that."

"Do you know yet?" he asked, smirking.

Wade grinned. "I think you are. Am I right?"

"More than a little bit, dork," he said fondly, tracing nonsense patterns onto Wade's skin.

Wade grinned dopily. "I never thought I could have this," he mused happily. "I mean, I was happy when we were together just as friends too, but this is, I don't know, it feels so right, kissing you."

 "I get that," he said with a nod. "Feels.. easy, sort of, as well. Like I don't have to try to be happy, I just.. am."

Wade squeezed his eyes shut, laughing in embarrassment. "When you say stuff like that," he said breathlessly. "My heart just.. it goes out of control."

 "Mine does too, just from feelin' it. Whenever I'm around you, really." 

Wade picked up Peter's hand and placed it over his heart. "Beating like crazy," he smiled. "Because of you."

 Peter beamed, rubbing the other boy's chest with his thumb, almost reverently. "Mine too. Normally when I get all nervous, everything gets.. fuzzy, I guess, and confusing. But this is different.. everything's clearer and in focus and I know exactly what I want."

"Yeah, I'm not," he swallowed, turning a little more serious, "I'm not scared when I'm around you." Not scared that anyone would hurt him, not scared that he had hit his limit and wouldn't be able to heal himself anymore. "What do you want?"

 "I want you, silly." Peter felt warmth well up in his chest again, and he figured he must be full to bursting again. "I'm glad I make you feel safe. You deserve someone that does," he said with a soft smile.

"Uhm," Wade started, then paused, working up some courage. "Agent Coulson gave me a list of, uh, mistreatments. It'll take me some time, but when I've gone over it, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to see."

 He nodded, thinking for a moment. "I'm grateful that you trust me, but I don't want you to say that just because you think you have to, 'cause you really don't," he said sincerely. He didn't want Wade pushing himself just to make him happy; no one would benefit from that in the long run.

Wade nodded seriously. He did want to show Peter, when he eventually managed to face that list. He was just scared that Peter wouldn't look at him the way he did now anymore, that he'd be disgusted, or pity him. That's why he wanted it to be Peter's choice if he wanted to know, or not. "It won't be.. nice. I want you to be sure you want to see, not because it's what you think I would want you to do."

 "I'm.. I don't know," he said with a slight sigh. "I know it will probably make me angry and upset, that someone could hurt you like that.. hurt you at all, really.. but if I know what happened, I might be able to help you better, and I really want that."

"You're already helping me more than you'd believe," Wade said, gently stroking Peter's hand. "You don't have to know any specifics, Peter." If it'd just upset Peter he'd even rather he didn't.

 "I just want to be able to help you as best I can, and if that means dealing with the fact that some seriously sucky shit happened to you, I can deal," he said resolutely.

Wade sighed. "We'll see," he just said. He had been selfish to consider involving Peter in this. He felt horrible imagining what Peter's reaction might be. He could deal with this alone, if he steered clear of, or kept his calm in any moments that might trigger unpleasant memories, there was no reason why he should bother sweet, precious Peter with his deficiencies.

 "Nuh-uh, buddy. I know that voice, that's the 'placate Peter' voice. Not happening." He sat up, looking Wade square in the face. "I'm cool with you not talking because you don't want to talk about it, but I'm not okay with you not talking about it because you're worried about how it will affect me. You're the one that got hurt, not me. I can grow a pair and support you, because it's not about me."

Wade stared at him in surprise for a moment, before biting his lip in barely contained emotion. "I don't deserve you," he whispered, not quite computing how amazing Peter was.

 "'Course you do, and I won't hear anything else," he said softly, trying not to break the mood that had fallen over them. He laid his head back down on Wade's chest, tracing patterns into his skin again. "You deserve all I am and more, so much more."

Wade wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close against him. If he could just stay here in bed holding Peter close forever.. "You wanted to know what I was going to say earlier. Do you still want to?"

 Peter was slightly confused by the subject change, but he wanted to know what Wade had to say so he nodded. "Yes."

Wade smiled slightly at Peter's puzzled face and leaned down to press a kiss above his eyebrow. "Don't look so cute. You can't think of anything I might've said that starts with 'l'?"

 He blushed but smiled brightly. "I'm rather good at looking cute, I can't really stop it." He bit his lip, thinking for a moment. "I remember when you started to say something and not-so-subtly changed the subject. Don't know what you were going to say, though."

"Yes, you are," Wade agreed. Peter was the cutest little thing he had ever laid eyes on. "I was scared," he admitted after a moment of silence. "That you might take it the wrong way."

 "Whatever it was, you're probably wrong. I'm fantastic at reading you, if you'd forgotten."

"Or take it the right way, but still think it's wrong for me to say it," Wade added. "Which isn't to say that I don't mean it, I do, I really, really," He took a deep breath. "I love you, Peter."

 "Sweet holy hell…" he uttered, floored. He spoke again once he caught his senses, so that Wade wouldn't think he'd messed up. "Damn, Wade.. I love you too, how could you think I would think you shouldn't say it? Even if I hadn't felt the same way, that would have been the best thing I'd ever heard." He grinned, looking up at him. "Could you.. maybe.. say it again?" he asked, biting his lip.

Wade broke out in a wide, relieved smile. "Yeah, yeah sure. As often as you want to hear it." He leaned down and pressed a single, meaningful kiss to his lips. "I love you," he whispered, heart just giving up on beating completely.

 "You're going to make me swoon, boy. Stop being so sweet," he teased.

"I don't think I would mind it very much if you swooned," Wade grinned. "And since we're in bed already, you couldn't do yourself much damage anyway."

"Not the point. You keep makin' my heart go crazy like this and I'll pass out," he said with a slight laugh.

"It's okay, I won't take advantage of your unconscious self," Wade teased, grinning widely.

 "You sure I don't need to be concerned for my virtue?" He laughed, matching Wade's grin.

"You know me, Peter, no sex until marriage," he joked, but he was actually avoiding the truth behind it. He wasn't sure if he was ready to have sex yet, until he had at least faced a few of his more recent demons.

 Peter thought for a moment. "Y'know, for me it's not so much about marriage as it is things just feeling right. Safe, happy, loved.. Does that make sense?"

Wade nodded. "Makes a bunch of sense, actually." And he agreed. Marriage was just a piece of paper, it was the sentiment behind that counted. "Although I can't imagine anything ever feeling wrong with you."

 "I agree. And you already make me feel safe, happy and loved." He paused for a second, thinking about what he'd said. "Not that I'm saying we should do anything like that anytime soon; I want to take this slow. Just sayin'."

"We've been best friends for so long, there's no hurry," Wade agreed. "I'm already super happy with kisses, and even without." He shrugged. "As long as we're together."

 "Mm. I like that word, 'together'." He smiled softly. "I really like your kisses, too, and just holding your hand."

"We've held hands before," Wade pointed out with a smile, their moments of innocent physical affection were always his favorite. He cleared his throat. "So, if anyone should ask, should we tell anyone that we're, uh, together?"

 "Yes, we have, and now I know why it always made me all fluttery," he pointed out. "We can, but that means we'll be subjected to the reactions and teasing of the entire team. Not that I'm saying I don't want people to know, I just don't want them going all shovel talk on you."

"I think your dads have given me one before, back when I started to hang around more," he said and wrinkled his nose, trying to remember. "At least I think it was supposed to be one, or do your dads usually watch TV in full uniform?"

 Peter groaned, shaking his head. "Seriously.. ugh, my parents.. I can't even with those two." He sighed. "They apparently already have, but don't forget about Uncle Bruce, Aunt Nat, and Uncle Clint. Maybe even Coulson. Thor, however, will just go all Old English on you and say that he'll protect my virtue or some shit," he said with a laugh.

"I'm good protecting your virtue all by myself, Bambi, although I appreciate their concern for you," Wade said, nudging Peter's temple with his nose. "Don't worry though, at least we can expect no shovel talks for you."

 "I think I might have already gotten one? My dads said that I had to protect you and make sure you were okay while you dealt with all this shit, and Coulson said something to the same effect as well." He thought for a moment, his face scrunching up a bit as he remembered. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was their version of a shovel talk without overstepping their boundaries."

Wade raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was a special occasion when people other than Peter were trying to look out for him. "Wow, how about that," he said. He must've looked really shitty when they found him.

 "Why are you so shocked?" he asked curiously. "I told you, they care about you."

He hadn't actually believed it until now. "Yeah, it really seems like it. I'm just not used to people caring about me, I think."

 "You'd better get used to it, then, 'cause it's not going to stop anytime soon." He grinned up at Wade, glad that the other boy knew that he had someone in his corner besides Peter.

Wade smiled. Even though he wouldn't depend on it, it was a nice thought. "In the beginning I was pretty sure your parents didn't like me, because they thought I was going to hurt you."

 "I think they did. You're kind of scary and intimidating and totally badass. However.. I think they just realized that you'll only use all that badass of yours to protect me, not to hurt me," he said, notes of pride and love in his voice.

"I cannot imagine a person that could hurt you. You'll just turn your Bambi eyes on them and they'll be cuddling you and buying you sweets," Wade said, before narrowing his eyes. "That's actually a pretty scary superpower you have. You're not hiding anything from me, are you, mutant?"

 He smiled, cheeks tinging just the barest hint of red. "No, I'm pretty sure my eyes only work on you. And I'm not hiding anything. If I were a mutant, I'd tell you."

"Only on me," Wade replied doubtfully with raised eyebrows. "I think you're forgetting the amazing grades you got for that poem he had to write for English Lit. So unfair, that thing was atrocious! Mrs. Wright was totally smitten with you."

 "Uh, Mrs. Wright is smitten with my pops, not me. Gross." He screwed up his face in distaste. "I'm pretty sure they're even the same age."

Wade laughed heartily at that. "You don't think Mrs. Wright has a certain appeal?" he asked with a barely stifled grin, watching Peter's expression. "No?"

 "Unless she suddenly turns into you, then no." His expression soured further as he shook his head.

Wade leaned down to kiss his cheek. "That's nice," he told him, smiling fondly. "Don't worry, I won't bring her up anymore, you've been teased enough."

 "Good. The thought of her, smitten with me.. ugh." He shuddered, curling into Wade a bit more. "Besides, I've got all I need right here."

"You're doing wonders for my ego here," Wade told him, but couldn't deny the tiny flutter his heart gave and he squeezed Peter's side affectionately. "I'm glad to hear that though. That Mrs. Wright won't be any competition."

 "Good, you should be more proud of yourself." He chuckled. "Psh, you don't have competition period."

Wade smiled widely, wondering if he should tell Peter the same thing. It was true, of course, but he felt stupid just repeating everything Peter said back to him. "I'm not going to run off with Mrs. Wright either."

 "If you ran off with her, I would have a seriously bruised ego. I mean.. talk about a downgrade," he deadpanned.

"You're too hard on her, I mean, she's probably ninety, and she doesn't look a day over eighty!" He smiled. "Anyone would be a downgrade compared to you though, Peter," Wade replied seriously.

 "I'm not saying she wouldn't be perfect for someone's grandpa.. just not me." He bit his lip, looking down shyly. "You, too.. I mean, I wouldn't ever want anyone else."

#As much as he sometimes had conflicted feelings about Peter being so attached to him, because he was _in no way_ good enough for Peter, that sent a flare of possessive joy through him. "Good," he said, grinning giddily.

 Peter's grin matched Wade's. "As much as I don't want to, we should get up. I'm kinda hungry, and I think we finished off our popcorn stash."

Wade grinningly fished a squished popcorn from under his pillow and held it up. "I'm kidding. Yeah, let's get some food in you, you're skinny enough as it is."

 Peter laughed, sitting up with a stretch and a groan. "I'm not skinny, I'm _wiry_. There's a difference."

Wade shook his head with a grin and squeezed Peter's side in a halfhearted tickle. "Same difference." He kicked of the covers and stretched his arms over his head, back arching off the bed.

 Peter yelped, jerking back a bit as he unashamedly watched the play of Wade's muscles across his skin. "Damn.." he said, almost reverent.

"What?" Wade asked, raising his head. He noticed what Peter was looking at and blushed. "Oh." He broke out in a shy smile. "Losing a few pounds does wonders for muscle definition?"

 "You were all hot and muscular before, you're hot and muscular now, you'll be all hot and muscular again once you gain it back. I'm just taking the chance to admire all that now that I'm allowed to."

 The compliment made him smile and he rolling out of bed. "Good to know you don't just like me for my personality," he joked. "You were allowed before too."

 Peter stood as well, heading over to his dresser to find clothes. "I like you for you, the way you look is just icing on the cake," he said with a smirk. "And I may have been allowed to look before, but it kind of felt like cheating, I guess. Looking at you like that when you might not have even liked me." He shrugged. "Do you want to borrow a shirt? Not that I mind looking, but Dad will tease you."

"Same," Wade nodded with raised brows. He knew the feeling. God, he had felt guilty every time Peter innocently took off his shirt in front of him and all thought left Wade's head he was so busy ogling him. "Yeah, thanks," Wade replied and held out a hand for a shirt.

 Peter nodded and grabbed a random shirt, tossing it Wade's way. "That one should fit, I think it's one of my bigger ones." As Wade finished getting dressed, Peter picked up what was left of their mess from last night and threw it away.

Wade pulled on the shirt. It was a little tighter than his, but fit well enough. "Yeah, thanks." He picked up the sodas they hadn't drunk the night before. "Should I just put these back in the fridge?"

 "That works," he said with a shrug. They then headed through the door on their way to the kitchen, making slight small talk. Peter yawned once or twice, still not completely awake yet. "So, do you plan to go back to school, or…?"

 Wade sighed. "I don't know if I can," he replied. "Since I didn't actually transfer anywhere, I could get away with no legal guardians signing shit, but this time, I dunno if our school will just let me come back without any paperwork."

 "You've met my aunt Pepper, right? She's like a legal ninja, she can get you past any bureaucratic bullshit," he assured him. "Promise."

"You think?" Wade asked hopefully. He had never thought he wound feel that way, but was actually looking forward to going back to school. "I mean, I do want to go back."

 "I'd be glad to have you there with me, and especially glad to show you off," he said with a grin. "I'm almost positive she can, and she'll try her hardest since it's for you."

 "That'd be great. Thanks," he said. "Do you think you can talk to her for me?" He sighed. "I wish I was 18 already. This is such a bother."

"'Course I can. You'll be eighteen before too long. Just a few more months, yeah?"

 "Yeah, thank god," Wade replied. He remembered walking down the hall on his hands last night. "Hey, what's my prize for my trick last night?"

 Peter laughed as he remembered. "I dunno, what should you get? I think we should hold off on the wild crazy sex for now."

 Wade chuckled. "Yeah, okay, walking on my hands wasn't even _that_ impressive."

"Oh, it was definitely that impressive. Seriously, I could never do that," Peter said seriously.  Steve looked over to the doorway, hearing the boys walk in. "Hey, you two finally got up. Sleep well?" he asked, trying not to laugh as he remembered the picture they took.

"You could do it," Wade disagreed, squeezing Peter's upper arm. "It just takes some practice." He looked up when they reached the kitchen. "Good morning," he greeted Peter's parents, who were wearing shit-eating grins that made Wade totally believe that they weren't above taking pictures of their sleeping son.

 "Gravity's vendetta against me says otherwise. I'm getting some juice, do you want any?" he asked, making his way to the fridge. "So, dads, what embarrassing picture did you acquire this time?"

"Yes please, do you have any orange juice?" Wade replied and leaned against the counter next to the fridge. Tony was grinning gleefully and pulled out his phone. "So you saw our note? A true masterpiece of blackmail, if I may say so myself," he said proudly, finally remembering to forward the photo to Steve's phone and transferring it with a few quick swipes of his thumb. "Would you like to see?"

 "Yep, we do." He pulled the juice out. "Can you grab some glasses?" he asked, gesturing to the cupboard behind Wade. "Yeah, I'd actually like to see it." He turned toward his father, waiting to be shown. "Don't tease him too bad, Tony," Steve warned. "Or we'll never hear anything about his life again."

Wade pulled out two glasses for them and set them down on the counter before gently fishing the carton of juice out of Peter's hands to fill them. "It's okay, honey," Tony said, while holding out his phone for Peter. "Jarvis’ll keep me updated."

 "Tony, we shouldn't have to find out about our son's life from a computer." Steve paused. "Not that you're any normal computer, Jarvis, just sayin'." "No offense incurred, Captain. Sir, were you requesting an update on young sir's activities?" the AI interrupted briefly. Peter looked over the picture with a soft smile, showing it to Wade next. "That's actually sweet. Can you forward that to me, too?"

Tony made a pout. "Damn. I thought you'd be embarrassed!" he exclaimed, although he had to admit the picture was ridiculously cute. He just wished they were wearing a bit more clothes. "Was I?" he asked, blinking innocently at Steve for permission. Wade smiled fondly at the picture. Peter looked so adorable when he was sleeping. "Me too, please."

 Peter bit his lip as he thought, weighing his options. He could either let Jarvis out them, or tell his fathers himself.. Steve noticed his indecision, and tried to give him a bit more time. "No, Tony, Peter can tell us -or choose not to- himself." Peter smiled gratefully over at Steve, the man's actions sealing his decision. He took a breath, steeling himself a bit. "Yeah.. I can. Sorry, Dad, it's not all that embarrassing to be seen asleep with your boyfriend," he said, his voice not betraying how good it felt to say that. He hoped Wade wouldn't mind; they'd established that they were together, but they hadn't gone so far as to give it any labels.

Wade's eyes widened slightly, but more in surprise than unease. After Peter had said his parents would tease them he'd figured he'd wait a while until he told them, but he didn't mind. They hadn't liked him as Peter's friend in the beginning either, and he had changed their mind. If they were against this too, he'd just do it again. He stepped forward, grasped Peter's hand in his and met Steve's and Tony's eyes determinedly. Tony's fingers stilled on his phone and he exchanged a surprised glance with Steve.

 Peter squeezed Wade's hand gently, glad he wasn't upset at the impromptu reveal. Steve smiled over at Wade reassuringly after he got over the slight shock; he hadn't quite expected things to go that quickly. However, he couldn't say he was opposed, and he gave Tony a look that said just that.  "Alrighty. We just got some more milk, so you can have cereal, or we could make sandwiches.

Wade was a bit taken aback at the lack of opposition, but pleasantly so. He shared a smile with Peter. "How about sandwiches?" he asked him. Tony returned to his seat at the table. "I'm kind of hungry too. You, sweetie?" he wanted to know from Steve, while he finished sending the picture around. He resisted the urge to sigh. Not that he was against Peter going out with Wade, they were just so _young_.

 "Sandwiches are fine with me," Peter said, and started getting the fixings out. "I could go for a couple sandwiches," Steve said, and started helping Peter. Peter noticed the slight look of displeasure on Tony's face, and frowned a bit. "Dad? What's wrong?"

Tony looked up at him. "Nothing, Pete, I'm just being a sentimental old man and realizing that my baby's growing up," he sighed. "And for once I mean you with 'baby' and not Steve, who is plenty grown up already." Wade watched his reaction. Peter had said Tony might be protective like that. He picked up his and Peter's juice and sat down at the table with him, not wanting to stand in the way of Peter and Steve. 

 Steve grinned over at Tony, glad he hadn't flipped out at the boys. "S'fine, Dad, I'm still your little kid that builds defective robots for your workshop," he said with a grin.

"No, soon you'll be too busy for your old man and shipping off to college and I'll really need Jarvis to keep me updated," Tony lamented, more for the sake of drama, but still with a hint of truth. "Maybe I should bribe some of your teachers so they don't let you graduate for another ten years. What do you think, honey? Great idea?"

 "I'll never be too busy for you." He shook his head, setting a plate down in front of him. "Silly." Steve smiled fondly, shaking his head as well. "We need to let him make his own successes and mistakes. Sucks, but it's part of growing up."

Tony just grumbled something, fixing Wade with his gaze. "I know that shirt. Is that Peter's?" he asked, trying to strike up a conversation so he could ask Wade about his plans for school. Wade nodded. "Yeah, I borrowed it," he replied, tugging on the fabric a little.

Peter sighed. "Dad, don't intimidate him. He needed a shirt, I gave him a shirt." He sat down next to Wade, handing him one of the plates he held and keeping the other for himself. Steve sat next to Tony, starting on his own sandwich. "That reminds me, Wade, we should get you some clothes sometime soon."

Tony shrugged, picking up his sandwich. Wade had only brought the barest minimum of stuff with him, which didn't really include a lot of clothes, barely enough for few changes. He'd lost most his things when he had to give up the apartment, and sold the rest. He nodded at Steve, a little shy. "Uhm, if it's not too much trouble, could I borrow some money for that?"

"Nah, I don't much like people owing me things. We'll buy you some clothes in exchange for you treating our boy right, and that'll be the end of that," he said, taking another bite and a drink. Peter ducked his head, groaning. " _Please_ don't hold it over his head like that.."

"It's okay," Wade said to Peter before turning to Steve. "Thank you. You can trust me with Peter, I would never do anything to hurt him," he said sincerely. Tony put an affectionate hand on Steve thigh. "We're just worried, that's all. There's nobody that's good enough for our little boy, but we're making sure he comes close enough."

Steve nodded, trusting in Wade's promise. "Thank you for indulging our worry, Wade." Steve covered Tony's hand with his own, rubbing gently with his thumb. Peter blushed, hiding his face. "Don't worry, dads. Whatever embarrassment you missed out on earlier came back twice as bad."

Tony smiled at him dreamily. God, he loved Steve. "We try," he told Peter, grinning devilishly. "Actually, I have a lot more up my sleeve. Hasn't it been a while since we've spoken about safe sex, boys?" Wade stilled, sandwich half on its way to his mouth. "Oh please not again," he groaned.

Steve grinned back in the same way. Peter looked over to Wade, muttering "Didn't I warn you?" He looked up, head in his hands. "Must we? Really? I promise it hasn't been that long."

Wade sent him a hopeless look. "Kill me now," he whispered. "I don't know if I can do this again." Tony sent a questioning glance at Steve. "I suppose we could save it for another day," he mused, before cackling. "When we're running a little low on embarrassment material."

"Only if you kill me first." Steve nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Yes, I guess we could."

 "I'm not killing you," Wade protested hushedly. "How will you kill me if I've killed you first? I'll have to listen to the talk and they'll kill me afterwards because I killed their son." Tony followed their conversation with an exasperated grin. He leaned over to Steve. "We're not that bad, are we? They don't have to be so extreme about escaping us."

"Alight, I'll give you poison then you can kill me and call it an act of delirium.. that would work, right?" he asked. Steve shrugged. "I don't think so.. I think they're just being teenagers."

Wade nodded, happy with the plan, beside the fact that by the time he had killed Peter the poison would probably be out of his system already, but it wasn't like they were ever going to execute that plan. "Perfect," he said and took another bite of his sandwich. "Kind of like Romeo and Juliet," Tony piped in. "Except you're not killing yourselves, but each other."

He took another bite, chewing quickly. "Yeah, maybe, but think of the headlines. ‘Captain America and Iron Man's Son and Boyfriend Driven to Mutual Murder by Awkward Sex Talk'. Do we really want that as a legacy?" Steve laughed, shaking his head at the two as he started his second sandwich.

"Oh, that sounds so tacky. I don't want to be remembered as the guy that killed his boyfriend because he was embarrassed," he frowned. "They might give awards to your dads though: Most Uncomfortable Sex Talk Ever. Or something." He leaned closer to Peter, sending a careful glance over the table, where Tony was raising an eyebrow at him. "It would serve them right," he muttered under his breath.

"They've got enough awards, they don't need another." Tony may not have caught it, but Steve's enhanced hearing did. "Oh really, Wade?" He asked, feigning anger. He couldn't keep a straight face for long, though, and started chuckling. "You’re right, we're rather good at that."

Wade startled and tensed at the sudden threat, before laughing along nervously when Steve's serious mask cracked. "Kidding!" he assured them, hands raised defensively. "Sorry." He picked up his sandwich again. "If we get any more awards we'll have to move to a bigger house," Tony joked. "Or move Peter to a smaller room. Whichever."

Peter frowned. "Pops, don't scare him." He looked to Wade, concerned. "You alright, Wade? He was just joking. And Dad," he said with a mischievous smirk, "I could just share with Wade, if we're short on space." Steve frowned as well; he'd let himself get too complacent, hadn't thought enough before he spoke. "I'm sorry, Wade, I didn't mean to frighten you. I should've been more considerate," he said sincerely.

Wade shook his head. "I'm fine, it's fine. Not your fault." He resisted the urge to say sorry again. Steve had done nothing wrong, they were having a perfectly normal conversation, Wade had been the one who messed up. Wow, what an ass he was to make these great people worry about him. Tony tried to lighten the mood. "Well, why don't I move in with you two as well? I'd have to bring Steve, of course, but I'd always be able to keep an eye on you kids."

"I'm not sure your ego would fit," he said, feigning sadness. "Darn." He looked to Wade, speaking softly. "Are you sure?" He took Wade's hand under the table, squeezing gently. Steve was still quite sorry, and promised himself he'd make it up to the broken boy somehow. He'd drop it for now, since that was clearly what the boy wanted, but he didn't want to impede his progress at all.

Tony put a hand over his heart. "Ouch, fatal hit!" He turned to Steve. "Honey, comfort me, Peter's being mean to me."  "Yeah, I just startled a little," Wade replied, but thankfully held onto Peter's hand under the table. It wouldn't do if people had to be on their toes around him at all times.

"You're fine, Tony." Steve laughed, shaking his head. "Well, Peter, if his ego won't fit, then neither will your attitude." "Huh," Peter said, holding out his free hand for a fist bump. "Nice comeback, Pops." Steve obliged, grinning. Peter traced patterns over the inside of Wade's hand, hoping to help him calm down. Despite the fact that he said he was fine, Peter wanted to make sure he felt safe.

Tony laughed at that, and even Wade couldn't suppress a grin. Wade was already mostly over his scare, pounding heart calming down again. Peter wouldn't hurt him, and even though Tony and Steve probably could, he trusted that they wouldn't either. He sent Peter a small smile, thankful for his care.

 Peter grinned back, glad he'd not been shaken too bad. He chuckled, finishing off his sandwich. Steve reached for his third sandwich before polishing of his juice.

Tony was still chewing on his first sandwich, absently playing with the toppings sticking out on the side. "This is good, thank you honey," he mumbled around a full mouth. Wade nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thanks." He was almost done with his, and watching slightly wide eyed as Steve kept eating. He knew the serum made some changes to his metabolism, but damn.

Steve smiled over at them. "You're welcome, it was no trouble." Peter nodded, not wanting to be rude as his mouth was full. "So," Steve said. "What are your plans for the day, boys?"

"I don't think we've made any yet, right?" Wade asked Peter. "Maybe finish the movie marathon, I guess."  "Make sure you're home and hungry for dinner. Steve's making surf and turf," Tony pointed out with a grin. "That's my plan for the day. Eat until I burst. And maybe pester Bruce about his date a little."

 "Yeah, I wouldn't mind a lazy day," Peter agreed. "So we'll be here or dinner. I need to talk to Aunt Pep, though." "Don't bug him too much, Tones. He's probably nervous," Steve admonished fondly.

"Or maybe I'll go bug Clint. I want to know what he's planning," Tony replied, finishing his sandwich. "Which reminds me." He lowered his voice so only Steve could hear. "We have to talk about Wade's plans for school." Wade smiled gratefully at Peter at the mention of Pepper.

 Peter returned Wade's smile easily. Steve nodded, looking back to Wade. "So, Wade.. What were you planning to do about school? Petey goes back tomorrow, and we don't want you stuck here alone and bored," he said lightheartedly.

Wade looked over at Steve. "I'm going to go back too. If they let me. There might be some legal issues because I'm not eighteen yet, but Peter said he'll set a 'legal ninja' on it, so I'm rather optimistic," he explained.

"Ah, so that's what he needs to talk to Pepper about," he said, with an understanding smile. "Well, if you need our help with anything, just let us know." Peter leaned over to Wade, speaking softly. "See, I told you they liked you. Believe me yet?"

Wade smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciate it," he said to Steve, then answered Peter. "I'm starting to, yeah." I could of course be that Tony and Steve were just very generous people (which was probably the case), but he did get the impression that they helped him because it was him, not just because he happened to need help. "Uh, Pepper, she's a lawyer?" he asked. He had seen Peter's aunt around before, but they didn't talk or anything, and he didn't think she was really Steve or Tony's sister, so he was curious about her involvement in the family.

Peter smiled, quite pleased with Wade's acceptance. "Good." Steve shrugged, thinking for a moment before he answered. "She's not quite a lawyer.. she's the CEO of Tony's company, and she's quite intimidating. She's just a legal ninja because of how, frankly, awesome she is, and how she can finagle people into loopholes they didn't even know existed."

"Sounds like something I could use," Wade replied easily and grinned. He'd expected a real struggle with the school, now that it was all playing out so nicely, it was a big relief. "Does she really have time for petty stuff like that though? If she's CEO, I'm sure she's got better things to do." Tony grinned in reply. "It's okay. She'll want to help. And if all else fails, we'll just buy the school."

Peter sighed. "Really, Dad? Necessary?" Steve chuckled at his boys' antics. "Pepper is always happy to help a friend, and I'm sure we'll convince them to let you in due to the extenuating circumstances, Wade. _Without_ fattening their wallets, Tony."

"I'm just saying - last resort," Tony replied. Wade didn't know how far those extenuating circumstances could stretch, after all he _had_ legal guardians that were capable of signing a transfer request - Wade just strongly doubted that they would if he were to ask them. "I'm not sure that would apply to me," he pointed out carefully.

"Well, we'll do whatever you need to get you in," he said simply. "If we've got to use our titles, we will."

"Thank you. Really. I there's anything I can do for you in return, just say," Wade said, touched by how far they were willing to go for him.

Steve smiled over at him; it wasn't commonplace to see someone of Wade's generation being so genuinely grateful, and that in and of itself was reward enough for Steve. "You're fine, bud. Don't worry about it." He worked through his last sandwich quickly, standing to go and get some more juice. Peter stood up as well, clearing the empty plates off of the table. "Wade, done with your juice?"

 Wade held up his index finger, while he quickly gulped down the rest of the glass. "Now I am," he grinned, getting up to help with the clean up. "Need a hand?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind one, no," he said, taking the glass and setting it on the stack of empty plates. "I'll wash, you dry?"

"Sure," Wade agreed, picking up a dish towel and leaned against the counter next to the sink. "Sounds like a pretty done deal that I'll be back in school with you. Are you looking forward to me nagging you during class all the time again?"

"Psh, try the other way around," he said, handing him a clean dish. "If you've forgotten, _I_ was the one nagging _you_ to do your work."  "Yeah.. I think he's probably more excited to get things back to normal, though." He stretched out, leaning back in his chair a bit."

Wade sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll have to live with that," he said gravely, toweling the dish dry and putting it back on its shelf. "You nagging me to do work, while I nag you not to do work."

"You're not _that_ bad. You're really good in math, for example." He handed Wade the rest of the plates, starting on the glasses.  Steve sought out Tony's hand, tangling their fingers together with a smile. "I'd have to agree with that.." He snorted derisively. "Some job they're doing as his guardians, though."

"Yeah, but math is easy. There's only one correct answer, so the teacher _has_ to give me a good grade if I do a good job," Wade replied, hands busy drying the plates. "If I have to write one more poem, I swear to god.."  Tony smiled at his husband, almost distracted from his concern for Wade. "Let's see what Pepper can come up with. If nothing else works, I'm sure there is a way to get them removed from their duties."

"It's not your fault the teacher's a frigid bitch that doesn't get your style," he said with a shrug, trying to get a stubborn spot off of the glass.  Steve nodded, thinking more. "I just.. what if we try to do something, and stir up something we shouldn't? What if the state gets involved, and he gets sent to some group home where he won't have near enough of what he needs?" He may have been over thinking things, but he remembered what things were like for children with no parents, and times haven't changed that much. He didn't want Wade sent away when Peter, all of them really, had only just gotten him back.

"In the end, it's Wade's choice. Pepper knows these things better than me. What other options are there? He could get himself emancipated, but I don't know how long of a process that is. Might even go to court. Or his legal guardians right now would have to sign over custody to somebody else that would make an appropriate guardian." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know."  Wade just shrugged. "I know I'm crap at it. But thanks. Maybe I'll write one for you." He grinned.

"True, I'd rather he make the choice above anything else. If that's what he wants then I certainly don't want to stop him.. I just don't want it to be his only choice, y'know?" He sighed as well, playing absently with Tony's fingers. "And who else would he have? He's said before that's the only semblance of family he's got; no aunts, uncles, anything like that."  Peter smiled brightly, passing him two clean glasses and going to work on the last two. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

Tony looked over at the boys, watching them for a few seconds, before turning back to Steve and saying calmly, "We could do it." "You know it'll suck, right?" Wade replied with a smile. If it made Peter smile like that, he'd write poems until he dropped dead.

"Nah, it'll be fine. You will have written it for me, and that automatically makes it great in my eyes." He shrugged, looking down with a grin and a red face as he took the other towel to help finish drying the dishes.  Steve looked at Tony with a soft, fond smile. That small sentence had made the soldier quite proud of his husband, and he felt that familiar curling of love in his chest. "You think we'd be allowed to? I think it's a good idea, don't get me wrong.. I just don't want to present it as an option before we know for sure. Wouldn't want to get the poor boy's hopes up."

Wade smiled dopily at him. "Okay then, I'll see what I can do."  Tony shrugged his shoulder. "I'll have Pepper look into it. If she's already dealing with his legal issues, finding out if we're fit for that shouldn't be that big of a step."

"You don't have to, if you don't want to. I'm just sayin' I'd appreciate it."  Steve nodded. "I love you, y'know that? I wouldn't want to be with, or raise kids with, anyone else."

"I won't force anything, but if inspiration strikes, who knows what might come of it?" Wade grinned.  Tony scooted his chair closer so he could put his arm around Steve's waist. "Good, because you're stuck with me. I'm not letting you go, ever." He leaned in for a kiss. "I feel the same way about you."

Peter grinned back. "True. So, that's the last of the dishes.. movies?"  Steve smiled at him, giving him a short but sweet kiss. "You say 'stuck with you' like it's a bad thing."

Wade nodded. "Sounds good. Do we need anything?"  Tony chuckled softly. "It's the best thing in the world, for me at least," he replied. "I love you."

"I'd say munchies, but we _did_ just eat lunch, so.. nothing, unless you want something."  "Love you too, doll. Those are actually my favorite thing to say, and my favorite thing to hear."

"No, I'm good," Wade replied. He was pretty full. He looked over to Steve and Tony, wondering if he and Peter could just go back to Peter's room, or if Peter's parents wanted them for anything before they went. Tony noticed his hesitation and waved a hand at him. "Off you go, kids, I'm sweet talking Steve, you don't want to hear that. Come on, I'll come by your room when I've talked to Pep."

"Thanks, Dad, really." Peter smiled over at him, heading back to his room with Wade.  Steve ducked his head, smiling shyly but managing not to blush. "Every other thing you say is sweet talk, Tony."

"That's just because you're so sweet. You just bring it out in me," Tony said, hand dropping on the back of Steve's lowered head and ruffling his hair gently. "Remind me, what's your favorite thing to say?"

"Oh stop it, you. You're sweet all on your own." Steve looked up with a grin, leaning into Tony's touch. "Nothin' big. Just that I love you."

"I love you too, honey," Tony replied softly, getting a gentle grip on his hair and tugging his head up to lean his forehead against Steve's. He closed his eyes. "We forgot to tell the boys about our vacation plans," he sighed.

He sighed contentedly. "Yeah, we did.. we can wait until after we talk to Pepper, though. That way, we can either give them good news twice, or temper bad news with good news."

"Yeah, okay," Tony agreed. "I _have_ to invent a teleporter. Imagine how great it would be if I could just teleport us to the couch right now. We wouldn't even have to get up."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "You'd invent a technology that would revolutionize transportation just to get you from here to the couch?"

"I start most of my innovations like that, I thought 'God, I don't wanna get up to get the remote', and there you go! Dummy was born!" He chuckled. "Not really, but it does happen more than you'd think."

"I get that, sort of. 'Necessity's the mother of invention' and all that. It's just funny that you'd think of it that way, that's all." He grinned. "Do you need me to take you to the couch, lazy bones?"

Tony opened his eyes and grinned widely. "If it's not too much trouble.." He waggled his brows. "Would you carry me?"

He laughed, bending down to pick him up. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: You. Are. Incorrigible," he said fondly.

"Oh, you! Stop with the compliments or you're going to make me blush," Tony replied chuckling and put his arms around Steve's neck. "You're so strong, honey. This is nothing for you, is it?"

He shrugged. "It really isn't much. On the grand spectrum of weight, you're actually quite light." He sat down on the couch carefully, still holding Tony close but moving so they were a bit more comfortable. "Mm. You smell nice."

" _You_ smell nice," Tony replied, pushing his nose into Steve's hair. "But then again, you always smell nice." He smiled at him, seeking out his hand so he could lace their fingers together. "What's your week gonna be like?"

He smiled, holding Tony's hand. "Not too busy. Phil's having me look over an op for him sometime, and I had a project I wanted to work on. What about you?"

Tony shrugged. "Well, the usual. I dimly remember Pepper mentioning a board meeting sometime early this week, and now that I've handed in some stuff for R&D just recently, Fury will be expecting some updates, and I've got to work on the suits with Bruce's new fabric." He laid down his head on Steve's shoulder. "What's your project?"

He stroked Tony's hair softly, nodding along as he spoke. "Sounds busy." He smirked. "It's a surprise, doll." He'd been working recently on a sketch of their new little family, including Wade, and he was thinking of painting it.

Tony tilted his head up to make eye contact. "You're not gonna tell me?" he asked and pursed his lips to a pout. "I don't like it when you have secrets."

He chuckled, kissing Tony's pout briefly. "It's not a bad surprise, dear. I think you'll like it."

"Alright," Tony huffed. "I trust you." He tightened his hand on Steve's and wriggled a bit. "Can you reach the phone in my pocket? I need to call Pepper already, but I don't want to move."

"Yes," he replied, taking it out with minimal difficulty. "Damn, boy.. remind me again why your jeans are so tight?"

"All for you, it's all for you," Tony singsonged. He plucked the phone out of Steve's hand and dialed Pepper's number. "Jarvis, please alert us if anyone comes within hearing range of this room," he ordered. He didn't want anybody listening in - accidentally or otherwise.

"Tones, your ass looks fine in anything -or nothing-." He smirked, squeezing said ass playfully. "Gladly, sir," the ever-present AI replied. Pepper looked up as she heard he phone ring, and restrained a sigh as she saw who it was. Luckily, she wasn't in a meeting, but with Tony one could never be certain whether or not the engineer had actually called for somethin useful as opposed to calling because he liked to hear himself talk.

"Pepper," Tony chirped into the phone the second she picked up. "How is my favorite CEO this lovely Sunday? Not very busy, I hope. Or at least, not too busy to help me out with a little favor."

Pepper frowned slightly; that was odd. Usually her boss just sort of said things needed to be done and expected her to do them. "Okay, I suppose. What kind of favor?"

"You remember Wade, right? Peter's conjoined twin that moved away a while back. It turns out, he didn't actually move away, but has been secretly living in the tower for a bit, and now we'd like to go back to his old school, but he's not eighteen yet, and we can expect no support from his legal guardians, apparently. Could you work your magic?"

"Um.. I can look into it, I suppose." She wasn't sure what she could do, but she was willing to look into it for the snarky yet sweet teen. "How was he living in the tower without your noticing though? Wouldn't Jarvis have noticed him?"

Tony chuckled dryly. "Yeah, well, I guess that's kind of my fault. He annoyed me into giving him access codes," he admitted. "Listen, Pep, this is a 'whatever it takes' kind of thing, okay? Wade probably went through some really bad shit, and he's pretty much family at this point.." He trailed off, turning to Steve. "Wow, just occurred to me, if Peter marries him, he'll be our _son in law_."

"Alrighty, I can move it to top priority. I'll need some more information, though. Parents' names and such.. What are we trying to do? Emancipate him, or transfer guardianship to you two?"  Steve shrugged, laying his head on Tony's shoulder for a moment. "Can't say I mind, if he makes Pete happy."

"Pep, you're an angel. Whichever is the quicker way, I guess. With least involvement from his parents. I don't know their names, or anything, though. Wilson, I'd guess? But you'd have to talk to Wade." He petted Steve's hair absently.

"Transferring would probably be easier. Are you thinking of adoption, or just legal guardianship?" she asked, pulling up some paperwork to start on. "You can either have him call me, or ask him. Either works. I'll probably need his social security number, too. That's all I think I need right now, though."

Tony sent Steve a questioning glance, because he didn't doubt that Steve could understand every word with his enhanced hearing. "He's already seventeen. I don't think an adoption is necessary? Although I wouldn't be opposed to it if it made things easier for Wade. And I'll talk to him about the information you need."

Steve nodded, silently agreeing with Tony's words.  "Probably not necessary, unless he wants it. Legally all you'd need would be guardianship. Let me know when you've got it, yeah? I can do most of this work without it, but there comes a point where we'll need it to move forward."

"I'll call you back when I've got it, okay, Pep?" Tony said, not for the first time incredibly grateful that they had Pepper on their side. Who else would sacrifice their Sunday afternoon without question or complaint for him like that? Well, Steve, probably, but he wasn't about to call Steve up and have him do random work for him.

"Alrighty. Talk to you later, Tony." She hung up with a grin and a determined huff of breath. She definitely had a lot of work to get through, and quick.  Steve smiled down at Tony. "I've said this recently, I think, but I'm proud of you."

Tony shut off the screen of his phone and dropped it into his lap. He turned his head to Steve. "Really? Why? What did I do?" he asked, eyes extra wide on purpose.

 "You know what, silly. You're being an amazing father, both to your own son and to a kid you've got no responsibility for." He smiled, tucking a stray hair behind Tony's ear.

"Me, an amazing father?" Tony replied, but his smile was soft and happy. "You must be rubbing off on me." He leaned in for a kiss. "Let's go talk to Wade?"

Steve kissed him sweetly. "Yeah, let's. But let's try not to overwhelm him, yeah? I don't want him to feel like he has to do anything."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, this is just an offer. No pressure." Tony got up from the couch and pulled on Steve's hand to help him up. "He doesn't even have to share his personal information with us, if he doesn't want. He can just call Pepper himself, she's very discreet, especially when she's hiding stuff from _me_."

Steve stood, stretching a bit as he moved. "That's true, she's like the epitome of discreet." He paused, thinking. "This is moving really fast, and I should be all worried or nervous or apprehensive.. but I'm not, and I can't figure out why."

Tony held out his arms. "Do you want a hug?" he offered. "I feel the same. I guess it's because Wade's been around for a while. When someone his age hangs around your house all the time, there's already some responsibility attached to that. It's not such a big step to just make it official."

His mouth quirked up into a grin. "I always want hugs from you, doll." He stepped in, wrapping Tony up in his arms. "That makes sense," he said quietly. "I'm just sort of waiting for something to go wrong. Seems like it always happens."

Tony breathed in deeply, leaning his face against the side of Steve's neck. "Like what?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know, really. My head's supplying stupid things, like he'll decide that we're crossing a line and suddenly hate us, or that we'll get all the way to almost getting what we want, and some legal snafu will stop us.. or that we'll find his parents, and they'll want him back.. even if they don't actually want him.. and since they're his parents, we have no claim over him."

"I don't think he'll hate us. No one could ever hate you, sweetie," Tony said with a smile and pressed a quick kiss to Steve's neck. "If there's really a problem with his parents... I figure we could sent Agent over to 'convince' them, or move some money their way, if that's what they're interested in."

"That's true, and he seems pretty content here. I don't like the thought of getting what we want with threats or money.. I'd like to be able to just convince them that he's happier here.. But it's nice to have the option," he admitted with a smile and a kiss to the top of Tony's head.

Tony squeezed his arms around Steve one last time before backing up. "Let's go. I don't want to make Pepper wait longer than necessary." He held out his hand for Steve's.

"Yeah, we'd better not." 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's pretty short but sooo many feels.

They made their way to Peter's room, where Steve knocked softly. "Boys?"

Wade looked up, hearing the knock at the door, and stood to open it. Unsurprisingly, Steve and Tony stood on the other side. "Hey," he said with a small grin. "Need somethin'?"

"Yeah, actually," Tony replied, making his way past Wade at the door and into the room. He looked around. "Jeez, Peter, is that popcorn on the bed?" he asked his son, who just rolled his eyes in return. Tony sat down on the edge of the bed, waving at Steve and Wade to sit down as well. "Let's talk. Steve and I called Pepper."

Steve and Wade sat down next to Tony, Steve on one side and Wade on the other. Wade's thoughts started multiplying; what were they going to say? Were they not going to be able to help? Worst case, would he have to leave? He took a deep breath, gathering the meager courage he had. "Yeah?" he asked, forcing himself not to let his voice waver.

"Okay, so, there's apparently no way to do this without consent from your legal guardians, unless we emancipate you, which is possible, but might take a while. This might not be ideal, but keep in mind that that's a possibility you have." Tony shared a reassuring look with Steve. "The other way would be to shift legal guardianship of you from your parents to someone else, who's more.." Concerned with your happiness and safety. "Cooperative. What would you think about that?"

Wade frowned right off. He hadn't heard from his parents in years, hadn't seen them in more. Still, he thought, his expression brightening slightly, this could work. "I'd be okay with that.. Who, though? Would I be like.. a ward of the state or something?"

Tony reached over to grab Steve's hand for support and swallowed thickly. "Steve and I would like to do it," Tony said, and kept right talking nervously. Even though he was _pretty_ sure that Wade wouldn't be mad or insulted or anything, he was still a bit afraid to be rejected. "I know it's a big step, but you can trust us that we have only your best interests in mind and we would never hold that power over your head."

Steve squeezed Tony's hand reassuringly, nodding along with his words.  Wade was floored, but a cautious hope was blooming in his chest. "You guys would do that for me?" he asked, astonished. He wasn't for a moment worried about them abusing any power, and his trust in them was furthered by the fact that they would think to reassure him of it.

"We would like to, yeah," Tony confirmed, smile starting to spread on his face. Wade's response seemed pretty positive so far. He definitely didn't seem to hate them. "You're basically part of the family already, we should go ahead and sign the papers to make it official," he added with a crooked grin. He looked over at Peter to check his reaction, but the happy excitement on his face reassured him and he gave him a fond smile.

His grin grew to match Peter's, but fell from his face after a short moment. "How will we, though? I don't even have anything resembling an idea of where they are. I don't even know if the two idiots are still alive," he sad bitterly.

"Don't worry about it. Pepper will take care of everything. You just give her the information you have on them, and she'll do the rest." He hesitated. "You won't even have to have any kind of contact with them if you don't want."

"I don't," he said, resolutely. "I got away from them for a reason, and I'd like it to stay that way." He sighed, trying to dispel thoughts of earlier times. "Do I need to call her, or..?"

"Okay," Tony said, respecting that decision. He had already suspected Wade might not. "You can call her, or I can call her for you, but you'd have to give me the information for her. Whichever you want. And, Wade, whatever you tell Pepper, nobody else will ever know. You can trust her."

 He nodded. "You trust her, and that's enough for me. I think I'd rather you spoke with her, since I don't really know her.. and I would like her to know how grateful I am. You two as well."

Tony's smile softened and he automatically reached out a hand to squeeze Wade's shoulder. He stopped in the last second and just pulled his hand back with a firm nod. "Don't mention it, it's our pleasure," he assured him. "I'll just need your social security number and what you can tell me that might help finding your parents. Names, profession, that kind of stuff."

Wade, to his own surprise, didn't flinch at Tony's hand coming toward him. In fact, he found he didn't really mind. Apparently this family he'd been accepted into was better for him than he'd thought. "Alright," he said, nodding again. "My social's 514-12-9176, my father was a plumber, mother was a nurse, and last time I saw them they were living in some shithole in Queens."

Tony nodded. "Okay, we'll let you know as soon as we hear back from Pepper, boys," Tony finished up their conversation. "You can get back to your.." He glanced at the TV screen that was paused at a rather gory scene. He made a face. "Entertainment." He got up from the bed and opened the door to the hallway, before turning and raising a meaningful eyebrow. "And Peter, that popcorn."

"Good. Thanks again, really." Wade moved back to sit next to Peter, and started to pick up the popcorn.  "Agreed, Pete. If you can't keep it clean, you won't be allowed to have food in your room anymore," Steve warned.

Peter groaned. "Pop, it was _one time_! I'll clean it up later," he replied, getting up to close the door behind his parents. "Promise." Tony let himself be ushered out the room, but caught Peter's wrist to get his attention for a second. "Hey, Petey, you okay with this?" he asked, just to be sure. Peter nodded. "Yeah, I think it's great. Thanks, Dad."

Wade deposited the popcorn debris in Peter's trashcan before claiming a spot on the bed again. "You coming? We've got a lot of movie to get through," he said, grinning at Peter.

 Peter nodded and walked over, pointing at the trashcan. "Thanks for that. You didn't have to, really. It's not like it was getting moldy or anything." He dropped back down next to Wade, pulling a pillow under his head so he could comfortably see the TV. "Alright. Ready."

"It's no problem." He shrugged. "I don't mind, and I made the mess too, so." He stretched a bit, reaching over Peter to grab the remote off of the nightstand before clicking the movie back on. They watched for a while quietly, but at a lull in the action, Wade spoke up. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Sure I'm not like.. I don't know." He sighed. "Shoving my way into your family, maybe?"

Peter blinked. "What? No." He shifted so he could look Wade in the eye. "Hey, no. You're not shoving your way into anything. If anything, you're being forcibly dragged in, by us." He tried a grin. "I want this, I think it's super awesome." Anything that made Wade's life easier and Wade a little happier was super-awesome to him.

He chuckled, grinning. "Alright, I suppose you're right on that. Just.. if I go too far, let me know. I don't want to intrude more than I already have."

Peter pulled up his shoulders. "You couldn't go too far. And you're _not_ intruding, so don't worry, okay? You're just coming back," Peter smiled. "To where you've been welcome all along."

Wade smiled shyly (definitely _not_ blushing) and ducked his head. "Alright, if you're sure. Could you come here, though? I need some Peter to hold on to," he teased.

 Peter sighed, like it was some big hardship, but couldn't stop the smile tugging on his lips, so he just gave up the act and scooted over so he could put his head down on Wade's shoulder and throw an arm over his chest. "Okay?" he asked, making sure Wade was comfortable.

"Perfect," he said with a chuckle, leaning his head on Peter's slightly. "Mm. I'm comfy. If I'm not careful, I’ll fall asleep."

Peter chuckled and brought his hand up to pet Wade's hair for a moment. "Go ahead. I don't mind." Even though Peter wasn't particularly tired, he wanted Wade to get all the rest he could. He might doze a little too, and even if he didn't, he was so happy to be snuggling with Wade he could've stayed still in his arms until the end of time.

He leaned into Peter's touch, smiling softly. "Mm.. but if I'm holding you like this, I want to be awake." He hid his face in Peter's hair, despite the fact that the other boy couldn't see him. "I like it, a lot."

"Me too," Peter replied softly. "But that doesn't mean you can't sleep. We'll just do this again when you're more rested. Problem solved."

"I like your logic, kid. I guess I'm just not used to this.. actually getting what I want, not having to fight for it tooth and nail." He shrugged, toying absently with Peter's short hair.

Peter tightened his arm around Wade. "I'm sorry you've had it so tough," he said quietly, before smiling up at him. "But I'll make this the easiest thing in the world for you. Or I'll try, at least. I want to be the best boyfriend you could possibly have."

"You already are the best. First, by virtue of being you, and secondly, by being the only one." He smirked. "You've not got much competition, Petey. Not that you wouldn't win; no one can hold a candle to you."

Peter was sure his smile could light up a Christmas tree. "You're sweet to say that," he said. "But still, I don't want stuff to be hard for you anymore, you shouldn't have to fight for every little thing."

Wade kissed Peter's forehead, glad to see the smile stretched across his cheeks. "I'm learning already that things are going to be better for me. Hell, things started looking up the first day I met you. It's just.. going to be a bit slow going, getting used to it all.

Peter shrugged gently. "It's okay. You'll have plenty of time to get used to it," he said. "We'll just have to make a lot of good things happen to you, so you can start taking them for granted."

He chuckled again. "Oh, really? Like what? I'm not sure about that, to be honest. I want to be able to appreciate what I've got, y'know."

"Like lots and lots of hugs and kisses, and delicious foods made by my Pop, and pointless, slightly dangerous gadgets made by my Dad, for example," Peter smiled. "Does that sound like something you might appreciate?"

"The first two I can definitely get on board with," he said, grinning down at Peter. "The third, however.. marginally frightening, but would still be appreciated."

"He tries," Peter grinned. "I guess some of the stuff he makes might be interesting for the military or something, but.. he means well. I have a watch that works on the ground of the ocean, and in space. Not that I'll ever be going there."

"Yeah, you can see that he does. The fact that they sometimes explode is beside the point; you can see that he really cares, despite the fact that he tries so hard to hide it."

Peter smiled fondly, thinking about his dad. "Yeah, that's true. It's kind of cute, actually." He was really glad that his parents cared about Wade, Peter was proud to share them with him.

"Kind of cute and dorky at the same time. Like you," he teased, tapping him on the nose.

Peter laughed. "I must've gotten it from somewhere, right?" His expression softened. "You think I'm cute and dorky?"

"Among other things, yes. Cute and dorky in the best way," he replied sincerely.

"I think you're cute, too. I don't know about dorky, but definitely cute," Peter said, smiling up at him. "And hot. Super hot."

He grinned shyly, his cheeks heating up. "I think the same of you. I also think you're really.. Ugh, this is going to sound girly," he said, shaking his head with a sigh. "You're beautiful, I guess. Inside and out."

"I think you're beautiful too," Peter said seriously. "Inside even more than outside."

He grinned brightly. "Geez, are you not satisfied with how I feel about you?" he teased. "'Cause you keep making me love you more."

"I try," Peter grinned, blush spreading over his cheeks. "I am satisfied, though. More than satisfied, satisfied sounds so mild. I'm really happy."

"I'd go with thoroughly satisfied, and thoroughly happy. And there's this warm feeling in my chest that I can't really name."

Peter put his hand down on Wade's chest, right over his heart. "Over here?" he asked, smiling. "I have it too."

"Yep, right there." He covered Peter's hand with his own, smiling softly. "It says things like _love, protect, hold_ …and I can't help but listen."

Peter chuckled softly. "I'm glad," he replied in a gentle voice, smiling up at Wade. "I know you're all big and strong and stuff, but I want to protect you too, you know?"

"You're strong too, just in a different way. And you're ridiculously smart," he pointed out. "But I get it."

"Okay," Peter grinned and put his cheek down on Wade's chest again, absently tracing patterns on his shirt with his index finger. "Good. Still tired?"

"Sort of, I guess. Mostly just content and warm and happy." He smiled. "I guess I could sleep, though. We did stay up kinda late."

"We didn't exactly get up early though," Peter pointed out. He closed his eyes, smiling contently. "We're never finishing that movie marathon, are we?"

Wade stretched out a bit, still keeping Peter in his arms but getting more comfortable. "I don't know… seems like it might be a bit of a lost cause," he joked, closing his eyes.

"It's okay. I don't feel much like being scared right now anyway," he mumbled, yawning gently, and grabbed behind himself to pull a blanket over them.

"Mm.. agreed." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Y'know, I think we're fulfilling some serious lazy teenager stereotypes right now."

"It's Sunday, we're allowed," Peter replied with a grin. "Plus, we left the house, like, yesterday, so it's not even that bad yet."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Go to sleep, you dork."

" _You_ go to sleep," Peter retorted, admittedly not exactly imaginatively, but he closed his eyes happily. "I'm serious. Go to sleep Wade, get some rest."

"I am, geez," he protested weakly, already mostly asleep. What finally made him drift was feeling Peter's slow, steady, sure breathing, reassuring him that the boy was safe enough for him to let his guard down and sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry dears! I accidentally posted Chapter 19 as a draft, but it's fixed now and it's really important so I recommend you read that before going on to Chapter 21.

Wade woke up first, as was becoming usual for the pair. He took the few moments to admire Peter's relaxed innocence while he could before the boy woke.

Peter had been more comfortable than tired when they fell asleep together to begin with, so when Wade's breathing rhythm shifted, plus laying pretty much on top of him making him very sensitive to every tensing muscle, Peter was easily roused from his nap. He scrunched up his face for a second and let out a tiny sigh before squinting his eyes open.

Wade smiled sleepily up at him, brushing a stray hair out of his sleep-flush face. "Nice nap?" he asked,  his voice slightly raspy.

Peter's sleep-slack face shifted into smile. "Very," he said, "You too? Feeling a little more rested?"

"Much more rested, thank you." He yawned, disentangling himself from Peter to stretch out for a moment.

Peter grumbled in protest at being brought out of his comfortable position and just flopped down limply at Wade's side. "I've lain in bed too much the last few days, I think I forgot how to use my muscles."

"Oh, I see. Should I just carry you around forever? That could get odd."

"No, I wouldn't do that to you, although I don't doubt that you could," Peter said, glancing up from the pillow he had his face buried in and grinning. "I'm sure my dad would make me some kind of prosthesis."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Or you could just get up and teach your muscles to work again."

"So much work," Peter complained, turning his face into the pillow again. "What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Four? Four thirty? I think you're sitting on my phone, so I don't know for sure."

Peter rolled over and retrieved the phone, holding it up for Wade. "There it is," he said. He remembered what Wade had told him this morning and it made him smile, so happy he couldn't think straight. Wade loved him.

"Thanks," he said as he took it. "Mm. You're cute when you're half asleep, Pete."

Peter blushed, ducking his head. "You think?" he said, and for an awkward moment wondered if he should've said 'thank you'. Responding to compliments was so hard.

"Of course I think, silly. Most of what you do is cute. Quite cute. Even that blush of yours is cute."

"I think you're cute too," Peter replied and tried to fight down his blush. "Whether you're half asleep or not."

"Oh, stop bein' so adorable," he teased, ignoring the flush stealing up his own cheeks.

Peter smiled at him shyly, finally getting some motivation in his bones to sit up. He eyed Wade's get-up. "You should keep that shirt. It looks nice on you."

He smiled at him as well, ducking his head as his flush grew brighter. "S'yours, though," he protested weakly. In truth, he wouldn't really mind having something of Peter's. He couldn't explain why, but it made him feel safe and protected.

"It's okay, it looks better on you than on me anyway," Peter said, sliding a hand over the fabric of the shirt down Wade's side. That, and it made Peter's possessive side very happy.

Wade grinned, turning slightly into Peter's touch. "If you really think so," he conceded with a shrug. "Anyway, we should get up and pretend to be real people."

Peter nodded. "You're right. Before my parents come in here again to check up on us." He raised his arms to stretch, groaning, before pushing himself off the bed. He bunched up a bit of his shirt in his hand and lifted it to his face. "And I could use a shower."

Wade nodded, and started to get up, but found himself distracted when Peter pulled his shirt up… he must not have been paying attention earlier, 'cause damn, kid had some abs. "Sorry, what?" he asked, shaking the fog out of his head.

Peter looked at him surprised for a moment, noticing his distraction, and then blushed. He let out a little laugh. "I said I'm going to go take a shower. I smell," he repeated, and suddenly self-conscious, decided to drop his shirt again.

"Oh. Sorry," he said again, blushing. "That's cool, I've got something I sort of wanted to work on that I can do while you do that," he replied, thinking of the list that Agent Coulson had given him previously.  He even thought that he could possible share it with Peter.. he wanted to let Peter in, to talk about what had happened, but he didn't have the words to say it.

"Oh? Okay." He nodded, then stilled. "Um, do you want some time for yourself?" he asked, a little forlornly. He was just going to take a quick shower, fifteen minutes or so and he'd be dressed and ready again, and he'd kind of been expecting that he and Wade would still hang out after, but that was sort of presumptuous, wasn't it? Still, he didn't want Wade to be gone when he came back, so if they could at least set up a plan or something, that would calm him down a lot.

"No.. by the time you get done, I think I'd be at a point where.. where you could probably do it with me, sort of." He fidgeted, apprehensive but certain. He'd come to discover that despite his fears, he really could count on Peter.. and he wanted to share with him, no matter hard it would prove to be. "You don't have to hurry or anything.. just.. come over to the room I'm staying in- er, my room, I guess, when you're done."

"Okay, I'll do that," Peter said, face lighting up. "Yeah, it's your room now. If you want you can bring stuff, you know, posters, or, I don't know, redecorate if you'd like something changed. We can even look for cool stuff when we're out to buy you clothes anyway."

He smiled back softly. If Peter smiled at him like that again, it would all be worth it. "Well.. I don't really have anything besides what I had with me. Some clothes, a pair of shoes, toothbrush.. that's pretty much it."

"Well that's what they have stores for. Unless you wanna shop online? Which is cool too," Peter grinned. "Just don't let dad know about it before, or he'll spend a lot of unnecessary money. He doesn't grasp the concept of buying only what you need."

He grimaced slightly again; he still didn't feel comfortable taking things from the Stark-Rogers family like this, but he knew if he protested, his arguments would be shot down. He nodded, smiling again as he resigned himself to it. "If you insist, I should really just stop fighting it. I think I can handle stores, as long as the crowds aren't too large.. but as for your dad, I'll just let you handle him," he said with a smirk.

Peter laughed easily. "We'll just sneak out and come back at night arms full of shopping bags. Come on, we'll have fun. He'll never even know his credit card was gone." Not that he would mind if he did notice Peter had borrowed one of his cards. He threw those things at Peter at every occasion. Plus, it was for Wade, so he was positive he wouldn't get in any trouble. Quite the opposite probably.

"But... Huh? You mean you want to go without telling them?" he asked, apprehensive. "I don't like taking your parents' money in the first place, let alone without their permission." He fidgeted in place, uncertain. In truth, the idea actually sounded pretty fun, but using Tony's credit card without his knowledge?

"We can ask him if you want, but I guarantee you he'll say yes," Peter said. "Or, if that makes it easier for you, we can just use my money? You know how much allowance they give me, it wouldn't be a problem. And even if I didn't have much, you'd be the person I'd want to share it with."

He blushed, ducking his head with a shy grin. "Damn, Pete, you're gonna turn me into a sap. Fine, if you're sure," he conceded. "You go shower, or before we know it dinner will be ready."

"You say that as if you weren't a complete sap already," Peter teased with a grin, then made shooing motions with his hands. "Alright, out of here. I won't take long, I'll join you in your room when I'm done."

Wade chuckled, leaving Peter alone to shower. He went into his room, hoping the lighthearted mood he'd gotten would help him tackle the list he'd been given. He took a deep breath, pulling it out from the drawer he'd put it in, and sat down to get started. He managed, through some feat, to fill it out objectively and not get dragged into memories. However, the further he went, the harder it was to write, with how much he was shaking.

Peter washed himself swiftly, practically whistling the whole time and generally being in a indecently good mood when he was finally dry and dressed. Humming absently to himself, he left his room and closed the door behind him with one hand. The other held up the small towel he still had on his head, gently rubbing it through his hair. He stopped in front of Wade's room and knocked politely. "Hey Wade, you dressed?" he called, smiling.

He jumped slightly, startled, but was thankful that Peter had interrupted him; he definitely needed some air and to clear his head. "Yeah, I'm decent. Well, as I'll ever be," he joked, walking over to open the door. "That was quick," he noted, letting Peter in and going back to his spot on the bed. "So… y'know how earlier.. or last night, maybe, I don't remember, we were talking about stuff, and what may or may not have happened to me.. well, I spoke with Agent Coulson, and he gave me this list- said it'd probably be easier to try it like this instead of trying to talk it out, y'know?" He took a deep breath, glad he was getting it out but nervous nonetheless. "So what I'm trying to get at is.. you can see it if you want. You totally don't have to and I wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't want to, but.. yeah."

Peter's smile dimmed when Wade opened the door, looking agitated and troubled. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, immediately concerned, and followed Wade to his bed while he explained. By the time he was done, Peter's expression had turned completely serious. "You filled it out?" Peter asked, a lump in his throat. That must've taken him a lot of courage. He reached for Wade's hand and squeezed it when he found it shaking slightly.

"Mostly, yeah. I'm getting there," he said truthfully, squeezing Peter's hand in return. "You've helped a lot, more than I'll ever be able to thank you for. I filled it out, mostly. I wasn't quite done yet when you walked in, but that's fine."

Peter swallowed thickly. "Do you," He cleared his throat. "Do you want to do it together?" he asked, carefully. He felt slightly sick, afraid of what he would see, but he was determined to keep a grip on himself. Wade was willing to share this with him, to put himself into an incredibly vulnerable position for him, and it humbled Peter. He'd do anything if it would help Wade even a little.

"Yeah.. yeah, I mean, if you want to. I don't want to freak you out or anything, 'cause Pete.. there's some really awful shit on here that I'm going to have to check off," he stressed.

"If you had to deal with living through it, I should be able to deal with reading a word on paper," Peter replied, trying to sound confident. God, he hoped he was right. This wasn't about him. He pulled on Wade's hand. He thought it would probably be easier if they were close during this. "Can you sit against the headboard?"

"Alright.." he replied warily. "But you're allowed to stop whenever you feel like it, promise." He scooted up against the headboard as requested, and opened his arms for where Peter presumably wanted to go- and Wade certainly wouldn't stop him. In fact, it might even steel his courage as they finished the list. He leaned forward momentarily, picking up the pen and paper that he'd had before, and finding a book on the side table to use as something hard to write on.

Peter nestled close into his arms, sideways after he considered sitting in front of him and leaning back against his chest but dismissing the idea. I wasn't sure if he could do it if he couldn't see Wade's face. Leaning against him like this he could see the paper, and turn his head to see Wade. He clenched his hands nervously, but already breathed easier now that Wade was holding him.

Wade rubbed Peter's back slightly, keeping that hand moving while he finished the list as it somehow grounded him, and made it easier to remove himself from it all. He went through the last few pages as quickly as he could, not wanting to dwell on it too long, and found himself checking off more and more of them as he went. A few were skipped over gratefully; if he'd had to deal with some of the stuff on that list, he wasn't sure he'd be alive still. Finally, though, he sat down the paper and pen with a huff, done. "There.. s'all there," he said, taking a deep breath. "You can look."

Peter stayed unmoving and staring in wide-eyed horror for a long second before reaching out for the paper stack and picking it up. He'd only seen the last pages so far and he already felt numb all over and at the same time like he was going to break out in tears any moment. That someone would do this to Wade, to _anyone_ , went beyond his comprehension, and it was so _unfair_. He read through the list carefully, determined not to skip even a single line, and he was done his hand hurt from clenching it so hard and it trembled with the effort to keep from punching something. "Shit, Wade," he croaked out, looking up at him with glassy eyes.

Wade found Peter's hand with his free one and unfurled his fingers carefully, holding him closer as he did. "It's alright, Petey. I'm safe now, and they're never going to do that to me again. I promise. I won't let anyone take me again." He smiled softly down at him, trying to brighten the mood. "I've finally got someone to come back for."

"It's just so unfair," Peter whispered, turning his face into Wade's neck. "And you're so amazing and strong. You went through all this and lived and came back to me." He would've gone crazy, probably. He wouldn't have come back as the person he had been before, but Wade was here and he wasn't bitter or broken. _God_ , Peter loved him, loved him with all his heart. He was so lucky. "I'm so lucky," he said, raising his head so he could look into Wade's eyes.

He moved his hand up to stroke Peter's hair, and laid a small, sweet kiss atop his head. "I know it's not fair," he replied. "And I got through it and lived because of you. If you weren't there in my head telling me to hold on, I wouldn't have been able to handle it," he said seriously. "But kid, are you joking? I'm the lucky one here; you just saw all of the shit that's been done to me. None of that's going to go away, I'm still one seriously fucked-up guy. But despite all that, you're still here, letting me hold you, not running away like I'm damaged goods."

"It's not your fault someone hurt you, and it's not going to make me love you any less," Peter said with a frown, tilting his head into the hand in his hair. "I'm lucky that someone as wonderful as you fell in love with me. I can't imagine that anyone else would've found the strength to go through what you went through."

Wade blushed, hiding his face in Peter's hair. "I seriously have no idea how to respond to that when you say it, because it's so hard for me to believe that you actually think that."

"That you're wonderful, or that I love you?" Peter asked softly. "I can tell you again, if that would help."

"Both, I suppose." He smiled slightly. "You don't have to say it again, but that is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to hear from you."

"One of my favorite things to say," Peter replied with a soft smile. He didn't feel so distraught anymore. Wade was safe now, and even the shock still sat in his bones, the need to cry or shout wasn't as immediate any more. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

"Thank you for being here." He took a deep  breath and let it out slowly. "Shit. That was over-fuckin'-whelming, Pete."

"You're telling me," Peter said, nodding. He stroked his hand over Wade's chest gently. "How do you feel, now that it's out? And it's okay if it didn't make you feel a little better, it still meant a lot to me."

"A little better, I think.." he said, still not quite certain. "I was worried.. about how you'd take it, if you'd even want to see it, and whether I'd even be able to get through the list without breaking down."

"You were great, you did so good," Peter reassured him. "I can only imagine how hard it was for you, Wade. But you went through the whole thing." He sounded impressed. Some of the things that were on the list he didn't even know what they meant, but he would look them up, later.

He nodded, taking another deep breath and sighing it out. "It was, really hard. I'm glad it's over. But.. I'm more glad that I didn't have to actually talk about any of it." He shook his head, shuddering slightly. "Definitely wouldn't have been able to handle that."

"Okay," Peter said softly and held onto him tighter, "You don't have to. You don't have to ever say another word about it if you don't want to." Yet Peter didn't know what the next step would be. That he was able to cross it out of a list didn't mean he was over it, and the things that had happened to him couldn't ever be undone. Time, he hoped, would help heal the wounds.

He nodded again quietly, nuzzling into Peter's head. "Let's ditch this, both the list and the mood. All I have to do now is give it to Coulson."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's just do something else." He pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'm just gonna text my Pop real quick to check in, okay?"  'Have you heard from Pepper yet, Pop?' he sent.

"I'm up for anything other than this," he said with a wry grin.

** Ch. 22 **

Pepper really is a wizard- everything's handled, Wade's parents complied, it's all good. Phil is bringing papers over for us to go through before dinner, and once we sign on the dotted line, Wade's ours for good. How's he doing, by the way? - SR

Peter grinned widely and glanced at Wade. He held up a finger to hold on a second. 

That's amazing news! Wade's okay now, I think. We talked a little about.. what happened. That wasn't easy.  -PP 

"I have really good news," he said to Wade. "The legal guardianship went through, you just need to sign some stuff and we've got you. Agent Coulson's bringing it over before dinner."

Wade waited patiently, but as Peter explained his grin grew to match the other boy's in brightness. "That's.. that's amazing!" he said quietly, warily excited. Finally, it seemed like everything was taking a turn for the better. He had his Peter, he'd been given a place to live, and somehow he'd gained a family through it all.

That's good, son. I imagine it wasn't easy, and won't get any easier anytime soon, but him talking about it at all is good, and I'm proud of you for supporting him through all of this. You two are definitely proving to be really good for each other. Let him know we love him, and be around when Phil gets here- should be around five thirty. - SR

I'll make sure he knows and is there on time. Thanks, Pop. -PP 

"I know, I'm so glad," Peter said and squeezed his shoulder. "Now my dads got their hands on another one they can traumatize who can't run away," he joked, corners of his eyes crinkling with his laughter. He turned a little to give Wade a tight, brotherly hug and grinned up at him, before he leaned in slowly for a not-so-brotherly kiss.

"Oh, the horror," he deadpanned, trying not to laugh. He held Peter tight when he hugged him, and met him halfway with a smirk and a kiss.

Peter sighed into their kiss, but kept it gentle and shallow. When he pulled back, he chuckled and said, "This might be an awkward moment to tell you this, but I am to pass on the message that my dads love you and that they want us to be ready to meet Phil by five thirty."

"Mm.. I hope you never stop kissing me like that." He grimaced slightly, unsure of how to respond.. He thought, actually, that he might love Peter's parents back. He certainly had plenty of reasons to, and they hadn't given him any reason not to.. so yeah, he did. However, he didn't know how to put the thought into words, so it would stay just that- a thought -for the time being. "Alright," he finally said. "We'll definitely be on time, then. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

"Yeah, plus: dinner. If Pop and Dad especially went shopping today it's gotta be something awesome," Peter agreed, and leaned back in slightly with a grin. "Give me one more before we go out there."

"Yeah, and it's your Pops cooking so it'll definitely be fantastic." He chuckled, smiling. "Now how could I say no to that?" he teased, giving him another kiss.. one that he was more than a little bit reluctant to break off.

"Yeah, he's fantastic," Peter agreed and clutched his hand into Wade's shirt to pull him closer. He bit Wade's lip gently before sliding their lips together again and moaning softly.

Wade groaned quietly, placing a hand on the back of Peter's neck to pull him closer. "Fuck, Pete, the sounds you make.. killing' me here."

Peter pushed himself upright and without breaking contact turned to straddle Wade's thighs. His hands slipped up Wade's arms to settle on his shoulders, squeezing carefully.

His hands found their way to Peter's hips and he gripped them gently. His hips, entirely of their own accord, came up to meet Peter's, which had him loosing another hum if pleasure.

Peter's breath hitched in his throat in sudden pleasure and surprise. "Oh," he let out softly, fingers digging into Wade's shoulders. He broke their kiss, conflicted. They had agreed that they both wanted to take it slow with their relationship and not do anything until later, but it felt so _good_. It occurred to Peter that he could probably get off like this, grinding against Wade, completely dressed. "Wade," he panted. "We have to slow down."

Wade hummed absently until his head caught up with what Peter had said. At that point, he quickly pulled back and took his hands away from the other boy's hips, placing them carefully at his sides. "Sorry.." he said breathlessly. "Got a bit carried away there. You're right.. that was a bit too fast. I mean.. I definitely enjoyed it, but.. yeah. Too much too soon."

"Don't be sorry," Peter said, sounding a little disappointed. He couldn't help but miss Wade's hands on him. That he thought it was a good idea to wait didn't mean he didn't want Wade. He pressed a single, lingering kiss to Wade's lips before he sat back on his heels to calm his breathing and discreetly adjust his jeans. "I enjoyed it too."

"I'm not sorry we did it, just sorry I can't control myself," he explained, finding Peter's hands and covering them with his own. He smiled softly, love and mischief dancing in his eyes. "Just think of how much better it will be when we finally go further after waiting," he noted, wanting to chase after Peter for another kiss but holding back.

Peter turned his hands over to tangle his fingers with Wade's. "You're right. And I look forward to it," he assured. "Doesn't mean we can't do anything now, does it? We'll just keep it above waistline." He gave Wade a hopeful smile.

"We can give it a shot. Can't promise that I'll be able to control myself, but we can," he said, squeezing Peter hands gently before leaning in for another, more innocent kiss.

Peter gently cupped his face in his hands and took a soft kiss from him. Never mind Wade controlling himself, Peter had to seriously restrain himself from jumping Wade's bones, keeping his touches light and not talking advantage of the leverage he had by sitting in Wade's lap. He let out a breathy chuckle. "This isn't easy for me either."

Wade grinned up at him. "You're tellin' me, Bambi. You know how hard it is to resist you?"

"I don't know. I just know how hard it is to resist _you_ and it's very hard," Peter complained. And at this point there was something else that was very hard that had better not been hard when he and Wade were supposed to meet with his parents and Coulson. Peter sighed heavily. "Should we just split up for a bit and calm down until we have to go out?"

"Oh. Yeah," Peter said and slid off Wade reluctantly. He leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Want to go kill some zombies? That's a boner killer right there," he suggested with a grin.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea," he said with a grateful smile. "I mean, if we're still having issues after that… we might have a problem," he joked as he stood up, lamenting the loss of Peter's warmth on his lap.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Peter agreed and chuckled. "But even then, I'm sure my parents are more than happy to give us 'the talk' again, and that just kills everything in me for a while." He held out his hand for Wade. "My room?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," he said with a shudder. "Yeah, your room's fine," he replied, taking Peter's hand. "How much time do we have, again?"

"Not much, like, half an hour, I think," he replied and squeezed Wade's hand sympathetically. He glanced at his phone. "Yeah, it's almost five."

"Well, that's enough to blast some zombie heads into oblivion," he said, faking seriousness as long as he could before laughing as he opened his door, then Peter's once they reached it.

Peter snorted in amusement. "For me, yeah, but you? I don't know, your aim sucks," he teased, turning on his console and taking a seat in one of the bean bags. He handed Wade his controller.

"Alright, I'll let you believe that- for now," he replied with a smirk, turning his controller on and sitting down in the other bean bag.

Peter leaned over to lay a hand on Wade's arm. "I like you anyway," he grinned up at him, before he picked up his own controller and started a game. "Winner gets a kiss."

He smiled back, caught again by surprise at how much he loved Peter. However, this was not the time to dwell on feelings- there were zombies to be killed. "Well.. hm, doesn't that mean I win either way? 'Cause no matter what happens, I end up kissin' you," he pointed out.

"It also means I win either way too, which was exactly what I was going for," Peter replied with a smirk, glancing at Wade only briefly before the screen had his attention again. "Die, bitch," he muttered under his breath and dealt a fatal blow to a particularly nasty opponent. "Because even if I lose the game, I get a kiss."

"Mm.. I like this system of yours," he decided, smirking as he took the heads off of two of the undead in one fell swoop. "Take that, asshole.. damn you, get the hell out of my way," he said absently to the zombies.

"Nice one," Peter commented appreciatively, momentarily focused on Wade's character. He flinched when his own character let out a horrifying screech as teeth buried themselves in his throat and he crumbled to the ground. "Ugh, yuck," Peter said and made a face. "But yup, there goes my boner." He dropped his controller into his lap to wait until Wade kicked the bucket so they could start over.

Wade didn't last much longer, only a minute or so, before his character was infected as well. "Mm.. gruesome, yet effective. However.. I won, so I believe that gets me a kiss, Petey," he teased.

Peter pretended to brush away a tear. "If I have to," he said, but grinned and leaned over the space between their bean bags, beckoning Wade with his index finger. "Since I can't sit in your lap anymore, you'll have to lean over a little."

"It's not that you _can't._ I mean really, if you stopped letting me hold you like that, I'd be quite sad," he said, leaning in with a smile. "We'll just have to practice our control," he replied, placing his hand on Peter's neck to pull him in for another kiss.

Peter smiled into their kiss and rested his hand on the arm Wade had stretched out to him for balance. "It's just even harder to keep control when I just got you back like two days ago," he said when they broke the kiss. He gave Wade another peck before pulling back and licking his lips. "Mm. Next round?"

"I get it. I'm also sort of happy I have you at all, though, so.. I can ignore the instinct to hide you away and keep you for myself." He smiled, pulling back with a contented sigh. "Yep, on to round two. Who will win this time?"

He chuckled. "I don't think I'd have minded losing, though, " he said with a shrug as the next horde of zombies came through. "I don't know, hadn't really thought about it all that much. Just a weird protection instinct I get around you sometimes, that's all."

"That I'm not completely sure I'm gonna win doesn't mean I've stopped trying, so don't give up on losing yet," Peter grinned. It was sweet that Wade wanted to protect him, but growing up among superheros and insane security systems he had hardly ever felt insecure in his life.

"Mm, well, I plan to win… on your nine," he said, pointing out a zombie with a grin. "Getting soft on me, Petey?"

"You wish," Peter responded with a smirk and blasted the zombie's head off. "By the way, if anyone's getting  hidden away from the world, that's you. I won't let anyone hurt you again, ever."

"I don't wish, I know," he said cockily. "And howbout we just agree to be equally overprotective of each other," he said, ambushing a group of crawlers with a rocket launcher.

"Okay, agreed, we should just ask Dad to buy us an island so we could live together, just us," Peter said, and whistled when the rocket hit. "Holy shit, Wade, that blew them away."

"The strange thing is, he probably would if you asked him," he replied. "Thank you, I try," he said with a laugh. "Oh watch out, one's coming up behind you."

"For someone claiming he wants to win, you're sure giving me a lot of help," Peter pointed out and glanced over at him with soft eyes. "Thank you."

"I figured I'd at least give you a fighting chance," he teased, but then got serious and gave Peter a fond smile back. "S'nothing, really."

Peter reached out to squeeze his arm, game immediately forgotten at Wade's smile. He stared at him, completely love struck. "You're so cute."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, not as much as you are.. damn, when did we turn into such saps? I mean.. not that I mind, but really, I though we were capable of higher thought than that."

Peter grinned and shook his head. "We are, I hope at least. I just have the urge to voice all these _feelings_ now that I don't have to keep them secret anymore."

"Well I certainly won't be the one to tell you to stop, Bambi. I like hearing it," he admitted.

Peter smiled at him and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sudden scream that announced this character's next gruesome death. "Well, shit," he said. "I keep getting distracted today."

Wade looked back to his side of the screen, noting that his character had been dead for a few moments as well. "Hm.. me too, looks like. Also looks like you won, Petey."

"I so do not deserve that win, I'm not even holding the controller anymore," Peter laughed and held up his empty hands. "But I'm taking the prize anyway." He smiled at Wade.

"Psh, I don't even care about deserving at this point. C'mere and kiss me," he said, leaning in.

"With pleasure," Peter breathed, just before they met in the middle between their seats. Their lips slid together perfectly and Peter could only revel in the sensation, not just the physical feedback of their kiss, but also the closeness and affection between him and Wade he cherished above all other things.

"Mmmh.. I wanna hold you," he said, when they pulled back for air. "God, you taste.. fuck, I can't even put it into words. Incredible."

Peter climbed out of his seat and sunk into Wade's arms happily. He sat down sideways on his thighs, he didn't want to risk either of them getting too aroused again. "Too heavy?" he asked and weaved his arms around Wade's neck and shoulders.

He shook his head, smiling as he wrapped his arms around Peter's waist. "'Course not, you're like a pixie or something. I mean really, do you even eat?"

Peter laughed. "You know I do. I eat like a horse," he replied, blushing a little. He brushed a kiss to Wade's temple. "We can't all be big and muscular like you."

Wade grinned. "You're strong too, though. You're wiry and strong and fast as hell."

Peter shrugged. "Could be better, but I'm okay with my body right now. I don't need to be able to lift tanks," he smiled.

"Yeah, you don't need to change anything," he agreed. "You're perfect as-is." He nuzzled into Peter's neck, sighing happily.

Peter's expression softened. "Thank you," he whispered into Wade's hair, gently rubbing circles into Wade's shoulder.

"Love you," he replied, leaning into Peter's hand. "Mm.. S'like I can't get enough of your hands on me."

 "I can't get enough of my hands on you either," Peter replied with a tiny grin. He pressed another kiss into Wade's hair. "I love you too."

 He smiled again, nodding. "How much time do we have left?"

Peter glanced at his phone and sighed. "Enough for one more kiss," he decided, but that would be about it. He didn't want his parents to come looking for them. He gripped Wade's chin gently and tipped his head up, because sitting in his lap made him a bit taller than Wade, before pressing their lips together.

Wade sighed happily, his hands automatically coming up to thread into Peter's hair. They might have only had time for one kiss, but he was damn well going to make it count.

Peter's eyes slid closed and his hand released Wade's chin to cup his jaw lovingly. God, it felt amazing, kissing Wade, so warm and firm and _Wade_. He let out a stuttered breath between them.

Wade hummed softly, nipping at Peter's lip playfully as his hands slid down to the other boy's chest.

Peter arched his back into Wade's hands and let out a quiet whine, tightening the arm around Wade's shoulder. "Wade," he breathed longingly.

"Mm.. Peter, you're killin' me here," he said breathlessly, running his hands over Peter's torso.

"Too much?" he asked uncertainly. He didn't want to repeat their situation from earlier after all, now that they had barely any time left.

"No, no," he replied, shaking his head. "Just right. I'm just still getting used to you and it's sort of overloading my senses."

"In a good way, I hope," Peter said and smiled down at him. He combed a gentle hand through the hair on the back of Wade's head and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"In the best way," he confirmed, smiling back. "Y'know, I love it when you play with my hair."

"You have amazingly soft hair," Peter complimented him and pushed his nose into it to drag in a breath. "I like the smell of it very much."

"Huh," he replied, surprised. "Didn't know that. Thanks, Bambi. I like yours, too. Just the right length to run my fingers through."

"I like it when you do that, too," Peter told him and resisted the urge to run a hand through his own hair to check its length. "But then again, I like it when you touch me anywhere, doesn't matter where."

"Even here?" he teased, tapping Peter on the nose.

"Even there," Peter replied with a smile and leaned down to kiss him again.

Wade met him halfway, smiling into it. He pulled back shortly afterward, much sooner than he wanted to. "We should head out. I don't think either of us wants to deal with the teasing if they have to come get us."

Peter sighed but nodded in agreement. "You're right, better not risk it," he said and pushed himself to his feet. He offered Wade a hand up while looking around for the remote to switch his TV off.

"Thanks," he said, taking the hand gratefully. "I think I was sitting on it," he said in regards to the remote, and fished it out from the depths of the beanbag to hand to Peter.

Peter chuckled and accepted the remote. He switched off the entertainment system before running a hand over his hair to tame it a little and opening the door. "Alright, let's go."


	21. Chapter 21

"Hey, I worked hard to mess that hair up, mister!" He chuckled, joking and following Peter out.

Peter smiled widely at him. "You can mess it up again later, if you want," he grinned as they made their way to the living area to look for Steve and Tony.

"Trust me, I definitely will." Wade looked around the living room as they entered, noting Agent Coulson sitting on the couch, and across the room, Steve and Tony cooking.

Wade waved back at Tony with a small smile, then took the agent's hand. "Nice to see you as well, Agent Coulson."

Steve watched absently from his place in the kitchen, checking on things as he went. Tony wandered over to them and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Come one, Pete, why don't you help us out in the kitchen, I'm sure your father could use someone whose work he doesn't have to constantly double-check," he said, gently but firmly guiding Peter away from the living space.

"Shall we sit for a moment?" Phil suggested and pointed at the couch.

Wade nodded uncertainly, sitting down on the couch. "I've, uh.. got that list you gave me. Pete and I filled it out," he said quietly.

Phil looked surprised for a moment, but nodded and responded calmly. "That was fast. I'm rather impressed," he admitted. "You said Peter filled it out with you?"

"Well, sort of. He didn't really fill any of it out, but he was there. Don't think I'd have been able to finish if he hadn't been." He reached back, pulling it out of the back pocket of his jeans, where it had been folded into quarters. "It's all there."

Phil acknowledged the paper but didn't look at it. "It isn't necessary for you to show me, unless you want to," he reminded Wade. "I'm offering you my support without judging if you want it, but it seems that you have found someone to confide in already." He glanced at Peter interacting with his parents in the kitchen with their backs to them. He didn't doubt that Steve was able to hear them though. Steve smiled over at the pair sitting on the couch, and gave them an encouraging nod. He was more than glad that Wade seemed to be adjusting, and that he was letting people help him. 

Wade shrugged, looking down. "I just.. I don't know how to deal with it. It's all right at the forefront of my mind, and not all at the same time. I just.. what I've got with Pete is good, and I don't want me being all fucked up like this to mess us up."

"I understand," Phil reassured him calmly. "What symptoms are you experiencing, Mr. Wilson? I'm talking about nightmares, panic attacks, an unhealthy mindset, anxiety, for example. What of your symptoms do you think would make Peter stop wanting to see you?" Wade seemed remarkably stable for this early stage of his recovery, and Phil was glad that he seemed to be functioning in day to day life. What needed work was what might be going on behind closed doors.

"Nightmares, yes. Panic attacks, not yet but damn close. Not sure what you mean by unhealthy mindset. Definitely have anxiety," he said, letting out a bit of a sigh. "I don't think any of it alone would drive him away, but who the hell would want to be with someone like that? I love Peter," he said honestly. "I don't want him to have to deal with me and my issues all the time."

"An unhealthy mindset could be, for instance, if you feel depressed, or feel guilty, or react to things differently than you should, or rather, than you would've before you were abused," Phil explained. Wade looked so unhappy and lost and Phil felt with him. "I know it's hard, but if you want to be healthy for Peter, that's a goal you can work towards. Tell me about your anxiety. What sets it off?"

"Not sure about the unhealthy mindset, then. Things are kind of screwy in my head at the moment. I can't really nail down exactly what I feel at the moment. I still feel sort of unsure, I guess.. but Peter and Steve and Tony have been so amazingly helpful and generous, and they're making me feel sort of.. I don't know, safe, again." He shrugged. "I guess there are a few things that I react differently to, but it's little things, like.. hm. Steve said something really sternly, and even though he was joking it freaked me out. Heart racing, muscles tensed, all that. I was ready to bolt before I realized he was joking. I think that's the sort of thing that sets off any anxiety, too.. pretty much anything that makes me lose control of the situation, whether it's perceived or actual." He sighed, sinking back into the couch a bit and running his hand through his hair. "I know I need to work this stuff out, and I want to, for Peter. I just don't know where to start."

"I suggest you let yourself settle down a little," Phil said. "Take it easy, assure yourself of your comfort zone. I'd rather not put you on medication, instead, keep a close eye on your thinking patterns. Don't think, 'This is too hard, I can't do this', think 'This is hard, but I can get through this' when you feel threatened. Don't be shy to seek out support, maybe let someone hold your hand, or whatever makes you feel better. If that's too slow for you, recreate situations that set you off in a safe environment and practice your reaction." Phil smiled encouragingly, careful to keep his hands to himself. "How does that sound for you?"

He nodded, looking up slightly. "I think that sounds like something I can handle. And I'm starting to learn that the people here aren't going to hurt me. I mean.. well, my head knew it from the start, but I think the rest of me is catching up," he decided some of the morose expression leaving his face. "I think that whatever I have to do, I'll need help, but I'm starting to realize that I've got people that can do that."

Phil nodded. "Very well, that's a good start." He put a card down on the coffee table. "Should there be anything you don't feel comfortable discussing with the people around you, here are the numbers of several 24-hour support lines, who you can talk to anonymously. And here's my number. I might not always be able to pick up, but feel free to leave a message and I will call you back when I can. Or text, if you'd rather not talk."

"Alright.. thank you, really. I don't really know why you're doing this, but thank you," he said sincerely. "And, um.. Peter mentioned something about papers needing signed?"

Phil smiled. "Every friend of this family is a friend of mine," he said, and even if that weren't the case, Wade was a good kid, and so young, he would've tried to help anyway. "Right. Legal guardianship. Quite a big step, are you excited?" he asked, speaking up a little to signal that their conversation was now for everyone to enter.

Wade nodded, willing to accept the reason at face value for now. He nodded, a small grin forming on his face. "I'm excited, yeah. I kept expecting something to go wrong and for things to get messed up.. but everything seems to have gone well. I never expected Peter's parents to do this for me either, but for some reason they have and I'm really grateful."  
  
Steve heard the agent's increase in volume and looked over with a grin. "One sec," he said, finding a place to safely leave the food for a moment. "We ready to sign, Phil?"

"Yes, quite ready," Phil replied and spread out the forms over the coffee table. It was all filled out - between Pepper's intel and some input from SHIELD's legal department, pretty much all that was left were the signatures of the affected parties and a notary - which would be handled early Monday morning. He pulled out a pen and handed it to Wade, while he waited for Steve and Tony to migrate over from the kitchen. Peter followed, peering over the back of the couch curiously.

Steve sat down next to Wade, looking over the paperwork a bit. They each picked up a pen, and Steve handed one to Tony. "Alrighty, where do we sign first?"

Phil pointed to a line with a little cross next to it. "Right here," he said, and then pointed out two more lines, for Wade and Tony. Right above were the signatures of Wade's parents. Phil glanced at Wade, hoping it wouldn't bother him.

Wade pulled a face at the sight of his parents' signatures, and the thought that they could so easily sign him away.. however, the thought was easily dispelled by the knowledge that he would be much better off in the care of the Stark-Rogers family. He signed more than willingly, setting down the pen resolutely. Steve smiled brightly over at Wade and Tony before signing in his spot.

Tony fished the pen from Steve's fingers and signed his name in an extravagant scrawl of sharp letters. "There," he said as he completed the last swirl and put a hand on Steve's arm, grinning widely at Wade. "All done."

Phil nodded and smiled at their happy excitement. "I'll be taking these with me then. You'll be sent a copy once it's been authorized properly. Congratulations are in order, I think?"

Steve moved to lace his fingers with Tony's and squeezed, grinning over at him. "Definitely. I feel like we should celebrate, maybe."  

Wade smiled cautiously up at his two newly appointed guardians. "Thank you, really. Both of you."

"Aw, kiddo," Tony said and reached out to ruffle his hair, slowly enough for Wade to avoid his hand if he wanted to. "Let's crack open a bottle of champagne or something. How old are you again, boys? 21? Perfect then," he suggested, but not seriously. He hated the pinched face Steve got when he drank alcohol these days, and even more than that he wouldn't actually give alcohol to his underage wards. He smiled at Steve. "Celebratory surf and turf?"

Wade allowed the ruffle with a grin, a grin that grew to damn near split his face. "Sounds good to me. I can help cook, if you want?"

Steve nodded, standing up to head back to the kitchen. "Best kind of celebration if you ask me. We'd love your help, Wade. You and Pete can peel potatoes."

"Oh the joy," Peter lamented, but he was really happy and a little emotional, so he squeezed Wade's hand tightly as he passed him by.

Phil collected the papers and Tony waited for him to finish up. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" he asked the Agent, who shook his head.

"I need to get back to work, but thank you," he declined.

Tony nodded. "I'll see you out then. I'm a menace in the kitchen anyway."

Wade set to work on the potatoes with Peter, a sense of contentedness filling him up to the brim. He grinned over at Peter, wanting to pull him into a hug, but resisting the impulse.  

Steve started cooking the fish, smiling over at his- yes, his two boys. "Once you're done with that, you can mix up some seasoning."

"Okay," Peter replied, but his attention was focused on Wade mostly. There was no sharing a quick hug, or a whispered conversation when Steve was in the room - he heard and noticed almost everything, unless Tony was being particularly needy attention-wise, so Peter settled for smiling warmly and tossing pieces of potato skin at Wade occasionally. Wade dodged them easily, laughing the whole time, and tossed some of his own back. 

"Boys," Steve chided fondly. "Don't make a mess," he said with a chuckle as he started on the steak as well.

Peter ducked to avoid potato skin landing in his hair and grinned. "We'll clean it up," he promised his Pop.

Tony rejoined them in the kitchen then, having escorted Agent Coulson out with a thanks. "Need me to do anything, honey?" he asked, stopping behind him and placing a quick kiss on the back of his neck.

Steve smiled, leaning into Tony's embrace. "You could start setting the table, doll."

Finished with the potatoes, Wade followed Peter's lead in making the seasoning.

"That I can do," Tony said and tightened the hug before letting go and stepping back. Even he couldn't mess up setting the table. "Who's eating with us? The whole team?" he asked Steve while gathering place mats and side-stepping Peter and Wade rummaging around the spice rack.

"Yep, everyone but Thor," he confirmed. He took the finished seasoning from the boys, tossing it on the steak evenly before placing them in the pan. "Boys, you could start cutting the potatoes?" he suggested. Wade nodded.

"Alright. Where's a cutting board?" he asked, looking around but not seeing one.

Peter pulled two cutting boards out of a drawer. "They're in here," he said to Wade and laughed because his Dad was looking over curiously, like he didn't know that either. "How long until dinner's ready, Pop? Should we tell people to come?"

"Yeah, probably," he replied with a nod. "I can handle the potatoes, you two go work on that," he instructed.

Wade nodded again. "Got it. Alright… where is everyone?"

"It's Sunday, so they should be home. Either in their respective rooms, or in the gym, or the lab is usually a good guess with Bruce. But we can always ask Jarvis, or call their phones." Peter shrugged. He kind of enjoyed hunting people down in the tower. "Who first?"

"Bruce first, maybe. I haven't ever seen much of the labs," he answered quietly.

Peter's face lit up. "They're so cool," he said, leading Wade down the hall to the elevators. "Dad has all the cool stuff they never let us use in the school labs."

"And he just.. lets you use it?" he asked, incredulous. "You're kidding. No way. I bet most of that stuff is worth more money than I'll ever see."

"Well, I'm not allowed to use most of it either, at least not without supervision," Peter admitted. That stuff really was crazy expensive. "But if they're not too busy with their work they let me help out, use the machines and stuff, while they tell me exactly what to do." He shrugged. "It's still fun."

"Still.. the fact that you're allowed to use it at all, supervision or not," he said, still dumbfounded. "I bet once you go through college, you'll be allowed to use it all, whenever you want."

Peter chuckled. "I guess, if I prove myself worthy of it." College was still a far thought in his mind. "I bet you could too, if you ask Dad. He won't say no."

"Hah, really? I'm nowhere near as smart as you, I'd probably fuck something up just breathing on it," he said derisively.

Peter snorted out a laugh and once the elevator doors had closed around them he reached for Wade's hand. "You wouldn't," he said. "It's fine though, if you don't really want to. It's just, if you're interested, just ask."

Wade tangled his fingers into Peter's, an odd, pleasing sense of calm falling over him. "It's not that I don't want to, I just.. I don't know if I could handle the consequences if I messed something up. Which I would."

"Which you _wouldn't_ ," Peter corrected with a smile. "And there wouldn't be consequences anyway, if you would. Unless you break something on purpose, or because you were deliberately careless, he'll just buy a new one, or fix it. He might even show you how if he's not super mad."

"You really think so?" he asked, uncertain. He still couldn't quite adjust to the fact that the people in this house weren't out to get him. He was getting there, but he had a ways to go.

"Sure," Peter grinned. "He's happy when someone's interested in his stuff. Don't worry so much." He squeezed Wade's hand before letting go when the elevator doors opened with a 'ping' and they were on one of the laboratory floors, the one Bruce frequented the most.

"I'll try," he said with a shrug as he started looking around for Bruce. "Hmm… I think he's over there," he said, pointing in the direction of where some steam was flowing up toward the ceiling.

"Lucky us, got it on the first try," Peter said and made their way over to the source of the steaming. "Hello? Bruce?" he called.

Bruce looked up, wondering why the two boys were all odd-looking before he chuckled, pulling off his safety goggles. He set them down on the table, stepping away from his work. "Hey Pete, Wade. What's up?"

Peter looked at the chemicals curiously, he couldn't help his fascination with Bruce's work. "We're just doing the rounds to let people know dinner will be ready soon, and they better not be late because we're sort-of celebrating that the Dads are now officially Wade's legal guardians."

"Alright," he said with a smile and a nod. "Congrats, you two. I'll be up in a minute, once I get this stabilized."

Wade smiled shyly back at him. "Thanks." He turned to Peter. "Who next?"

"We should check the gym. If we're lucky we get Clint and Natasha in one strike," Peter suggested and they left Bruce to finish up.

He nodded, following Peter to the gym. "Nice setup you've got here," he commented once they got inside. "I see Natasha, but no Clint."

"Well, one out of two isn't so bad," Peter shrugged, and carefully eyed the weight rack Clint had tied Wade to just days ago. "I'm sorry about the rough treatment when they caught you."

He shrugged as well, shaking his head. "I understand it. It's not like I was a welcome guest; I was a stowaway, they had every right to do whatever they wanted. Scared the shit out of me, but it was fair."

Peter shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "It was kind of my fault you got caught," he admitted quietly. "I guess someone saw me run to my room without clothes after a shower and it raised questions. If I'd known.."

"No, I'm glad it happened. I can't say I dislike anything about how this all has turned out," he said sincerely, taking Peter's hand for a moment. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't have you right now."

Peter smiled brightly. "I'm glad about it too," he said and leaned over to kiss Wade's cheek. "It's still a little like a dream. It all changed so quickly."

"Yeah.. I'm still reeling a bit," he agreed. "In the best way, though." He grinned. "In the way that makes me want to kiss you again and again, makes me want to hold you close to make sure you don't slip away."

"I'm all on board for that," Peter smiled and ducked his head.

Someone cleared their throat a few feet away. "Hey. Something I can help you guys with?" Natasha asked, towel slung over tha back of her neck and her workout bag over her shoulder.

Wade's cheeks flushed, and he stepped away from Peter reluctantly. "Uh, dinner's almost ready," he said quietly. "Do you know where Agent Barton is, by chance?"

Natasha looked between them and smirked. "He said he wanted to hit the shower a bit ago, so I'd check his room if you're looking for him." She pulled the towel from her neck. "Thanks for the update. I'm gonna get cleaned up and see you guys for dinner," she said and stepped into the elevator with a parting nod.

"Alright.. thank you," he said as she walked away. He turned to Peter, muttering quietly. "What was that smirk of hers for?"

Peter shrugged. "She's one of those people who know _everything_ , so I guess she figured something out and felt smug about it?"

"That's… unsettling. Let's go find Clint," he decided, finding Peter's hand again. Peter smiled at him and they made their way back to their hallway.

"Do you need something from your room, now that we're already here?" he asked Wade, just to check.

"Mm.. not that I know of. Not much in there," he said with a shrug and a grin as he walked up to knock on Clint's door. The door got yanked open and Clint greeted them, hair disheveled and a little out of breath. He straightened and extended his arms to the sides.

"Hullo, Pete, Wade. How's this outfit?" he asked and pointed at his jeans and dress shirt.

Wade gave him a small smile once he got over the slight shock of his greeting. "I like it. You might go with a brighter shirt, though, to bring out your eyes. Dark look good with your skin tone, but colors pop. What's the outfit for?" he asked, curious. ' _Why are you freaking out over clothes?'_ , he left unsaid.

Clint ignored them. "Brighter shirt," he muttered to himself and pulled the one he was wearing over his head, tossing it away. Peter exchanged a glance with Wade and stepped into the room. He raised his eyebrows at the chaos, because it seemed like Clint had emptied his whole wardrobe onto the floor. "This better?" Clint asked them when he had put on another shirt, this time on that 'popped' more.

"Yes… what's wrong, if you don't mind my asking? You look stressed, and you never look stressed." Wade looked back over at Peter, giving him a minute shrug.

Clint started pushing the clothes together to a pile, and took off the shirt and pants he was wearing to put them on his bed. "I have a date tomorrow, and I need to look good enough to impress him," he explained and shrugged on some random clothes from the pile.

"If you've got a date with someone, then you've already managed to impress him," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's.." Clint said, then trailed off with a distracted smile. "Special," he finished finally. Peter grinned at Wade and mouthed _special_ with a raised eyebrow. Clint glared at him a little. "Did you come here for a reason, or did you just happen to feel my need for fashion advice?"

Wade raised his eyebrow slightly. Whoever'd managed to catch Clint must be something special, if he was making the archer smile like that. "We came to tell you dinner was almost ready," he said, shrinking a bit under the man's glare.

"Oh, awesome," Clint said, face lighting up. "What're we waiting for?" He ushered the two teenagers out of his room into the hallway. "By the way, how was your night of hot, wild sex?" he asked with a smirk. Peter blushed.

"It was hot, wild, and full of mostly platonic cuddling," he replied, smiling at Peter's blush.

Clint chuckled. " _Mostly_ platonic cuddling, huh? Natasha will be so pleased," he teased, then cocked his head in thought and narrowed his eyes. "How exactly does one have hot and wild cuddling?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased back. "Why would Agent Romanov want to know?"

Clint looked caught for a second and glanced at Peter, who was looking at him quizzically. "Uh, well, we made a bet, sort of," he admitted, shrugging apologetically. Peter's eyes widened.

"That's why she looked so pleased when we were at the gym!" he realized. He quirked an eyebrow at Clint, displeased. "What were you betting on?" he asked.

Clint raised his hands defensively. "Just, with you two constantly being so touchy-feely with each other, we wondered if, you know, if there was anything going on. Natasha said yes, I said you're just really, really handsy friends. If it makes you feel any better, we make bets about pretty much everything." Peter noticed that Wade felt bothered by the bet and brushed his fingers against his.

"Oh.. alright," he said, relaxing now that he'd heard it was a harmless little wager. He smiled softly over at Peter, but didn't say anything else- he wasn't sure what all Peter wanted to share with his family, and didn't want to spill something without talking to him first. He certainly didn't have a problem with anyone knowing how they felt about each other, but he didn't want to put Peter on the spot too much. Peter smiled back at Wade, but decided to not give Clint any more ideas about him and Wade. After all, his relationship with Wade was precious and special, and he didn't feel like sharing it with Clint after he had just admitted about making stupid bets about their private life.

"So, are you going to tell us what mystery man you're dating tomorrow?" he asked Clint, who shrugged. "If it lasts you'll figure it out," he replied, just as they reached the living room.

Wade thought for a moment. "Y'know, I think I might know who it is," he said with a smirk. He did have a hunch, especially after dinner two nights ago, and he would certainly enjoy the chance to get back at Clint a bit.

"Really, who?" Peter asked curiously. He'd have figured it was Bruce, but Clint had been so obviously into him for _ages_ without ever doing anything about it that he pretty much ruled him out. Clint sent them a wary look.

"A certain physicist," he told Peter, loud enough for Clint to hear. He smirked wider, enjoying the gentle ribbing he was giving the archer. Peter watched Wade tease Clint with a smile. That was so much more like Wade's usual character, pushing and teasing people, and running his mouth.

Clint narrowed his eyes at him before looking around the living room quickly. "Kindly shut up, will you?" he said in a low voice, spotting Bruce in the kitchen chatting with Tony.

Wade grinned mischievously but stopped, nodding. "Fine, for now. Just don't bet on Pete and I anymore."

"Fine," Clint said, and walked away from them to see how much longer it was until dinner would be served.

Peter grabbed Wade's elbow. "For real? Bruce?" he whispered with a wide grin. "Oh, this is huge."

He nodded again, chuckling. "Yeah, definitely. Didn't you see them at dinner? Not last night, but the night before; they were both blushing up a storm."

Peter tried to think back, but couldn't remember paying attention to them. "I guess I was distracted by you," he said and smiled. "Clint and Bruce though, wow, that was a long time in the making."

Wade blushed, ducking his head with a shy smile. "Yeah, they really have been denying it for a while."

 


	22. Chapter 22

Peter's hand twitched with the urge to hug Wade because he was so fucking cute. "Come on," he said instead. Let's grab a seat."

"Sounds good," he said with a shrug. He followed Peter over to the table, standing behind where he'd sat the other day. "This alright?"

"Sure," Peter nodded and sat down. They didn't technically have assigned seats, but Peter was used to sitting there and he liked it that way. Tony came to join them and stood behind Peter, ruffling his hair. "Everything alright?" he asked.

Wade looked up at Tony, shrugging. "More or less. We walked in on Agent Barton freaking out over his shirt, but I couldn't begin to tell you why," he said, giving a little white lie for Clint's sake.

Tony smirked. "I have an idea or two," he said, glancing at the archer perched on a kitchen stool. He took a seat next to them. "Stay behind after dinner, okay? Steve and I want to talk to you about something."

"Um.. okay?" he said, confused and slightly concerned. He looked to Peter, his expression searching, wondering if the other boy had any idea.

Peter shrugged, just as clueless. "About what?" he asked his father suspiciously. Tony laughed. "Relax, you're not in trouble," he replied. "I can't spoil anything right now though, or Steve will be mad at me."

"Alrighty.. we'll be sure to stick around, then," he said, still confused but less worried. "How much longer until dinner's ready?"

Tony turned around in his seat and called for Steve. "Honey, love of my life! How much longer until dinner?" he asked. The the rest occupants of the tower were now slowly trickling in and taking their seats at the table.

"About five minutes, dear," he said, smiling brightly. "You can come and start bringing things to the table, all that's left is the steak," he said, turning over one of the cuts of meat.

Tony got up to do just that, but stopped on his way to kiss his husband's cheek. "It smells amazing," he said and continued with his task after playfully smacking Steve's butt.

Steve smiled, running a hand through Tony's hair fondly. "Thank you, Tones- hey, hands off the husband!" he said, blushing but still grinning.

Tony chuckled, putting dishes down on the table so people could start filling their plates. "Yes, dear," he replied and made his way to the kitchen again to pick up more stuff. "What did I get married for, if I can't even touch my husband's butt?" he moaned with a grin.

Steve smirked, taking the steaks out of the pan and putting them on a plate quickly before catching Tony around the waist and pulling him close. "Because the sex is  _amazing_ ," he murmured in Tony's ear, dotting a kiss to his jaw before he pulled away and headed to the table. He sat down in his usual spot and started adding things to his plate as he waited for Tony.

Tony slid into the chair next to him and kissed his cheek. "It really is," he whispered and helped himself to some food. Peter tried to join the conversation innocently. "What is?" he asked his parents.

Steve grinned over at Peter. "Nothing, dear. Get some steak and dig in, boys. There's fish, too."   
Wade took a little bit of everything, careful to not take more than he needed.

Peter was excited about the food, he loved steak and fish and the potatoes tasted heavenly. He shoveled another spoonful onto Wade's plate. "Try these, they're good," he said and gulped down some himself.

Wade chuckled, shrugging. "Sure, if you insist.. though I did already have some," he pointed out, gesturing to the spoonful he'd already taken. He took a bite and damn near let out a groan at how succulent the food was. "Oh my gosh.. never leaving again, this food is great."   
Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Thanks, Wade. S'nothing, really, I'm just glad you like it."

"You had like  _four_ ," Peter complained. "Nobody's happy with that little food." He smiled over at him, he sure hoped Wade was never leaving again.  
Tony squeezed Steve's knee. "He's right, it's very good, honey," he said. 

"Maybe, but I also had fish and steak, and there's other people who need to eat. One of which happens to need four times the amount of food I do," he pointed out. However, he polished off the second spoonful easily, starting in on the fish next.

Peter's smile turned into a slight frown. "You don't have to hold back," he said. "Pop makes plenty for everyone." This was Wade's home now, he shouldn't feel like he needed to be polite all the time.

"Still, I wouldn't want to go back for more before everyone had gotten their firsts," he said with a shrug. "If he made plenty, then it will be there when I'm ready for it."

Peter observed him for a moment, then visibly deflated. "Okay." He turned to his plate again and brushed Wade's elbow with his. "Sorry I nagged. It wasn't my place," he said softly.

"No," he said, smiling softly and nudging him back. "That came out harsher than I intended. You don't need to be sorry, I know you just want me to get what I need. And it kind of is your place to nag at me if I'm being stupid."

Peter smiled shyly at him. He glanced around the table - he wanted so bad to give Wade a kiss right now. Tony wasn't paying attention to anything but his plate, but Clint sent him a knowing smirk.

Wade caught Clint's smirk, and found Peter's free hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.   
Steve looked up and gave the boys a fond, reassuring smile, glad that Peter was looking after Wade.

Tony leaned back in his chair, not done with his meal yet, but already pretty stuffed, so he took a little break. He hooked a hand into the crook of Steve's elbow and rested his head against his shoulder, watching his makeshift family with a relaxed expression. Especially Peter and Wade brought a smile to his face.

Steve leaned over to place a kiss atop Tony's head, grinning. "I love our little- well, rather large actually, family," he said quietly, just loud enough for Tony.

Tony hummed and nuzzled into his shoulder. "I love  _you_ ," he said, because he was happy and relaxed and full. "And all these annoying brats too," he added with an exasperated smile at Clint trying to observe Bruce inconspicuously and fooling absolutely no one, while Wade and Peter held hands under the table, and really, did they think he couldn't see that? 

"They're not brats. They are annoying, at times," he agreed with a chuckle, "but not brats. I wouldn't change it for the world." He couldn't believe he'd gotten so lucky, really. Over the last couple days he'd realized how wonderful his life was, and how precious his family was, and he would do anything it took to hold on to it.

"Uh huh," Tony agreed with a small grin. "They're stuck with us." He turned his head to press a kiss to Steve's shoulder, before disentangling his arm and picking up his fork again.

Steve smiled over at him before picking up his fork again and eating a bit more.

Peter leaned back in his seat with a groan and rubbed a hand over his belly. "I am so full, I'm about to burst," he declared, pained expression on his face. "But it's so  _good_ ."

Wade chuckled, shaking his head. "Save some for later, then. That would make a great lunch. I think everyone's had about as much as they're going to have," he said, looking around at the table.

Peter nodded in agreement, everyone seemed stuffed to the brink. "That was great, Steve, thanks," Clint said, just finishing his last bite.

Bruce and Wade both nodded in agreement. Natasha grinned over at Steve. "It was excellent, thank you."   
Steve ducked his head a bit, smiling shyly. "It was nothing, really. Just making a meal for my family," he said with a shrug.

Clint began stacking plates, while the others collected silverware and glasses. "Anything we can help with the clean-up?" he asked Steve.

Wade stood as well, picking up the near-empty serving dishes.   
Steve nodded, moving to get up. "This should be fine, there aren't actually that many dishes." He headed back into the kitchen, picking up pots and pans and starting to wash them.

Tony watched Steve, looking slightly miffed. He wandered over to him, while the Avengers scattered, only Peter and Wade staying behind, as per Tony's request. "You cooked already. Are you sure you don't want to leave this to someone else?" he asked.

Steve chuckled slightly. "Tony, everyone that wasn't asked to stay just left. Who, exactly, do you think will do these dishes?"

Tony wrung his hands, slightly at a loss. "I could call a home help?" he suggested. "Or.. or I could do it." He didn't exactly remember that he had before, probably ever, but it couldn't be that hard, right? He was a genius, doing the dishes should be no problem.

He smiled softly over at Tony, who was being ridiculously endearing. "Or we could do it together?"

"Sure, yeah okay. That's.. something, at least," he said, beginning to smile. He opened his arms. "What do I do?"

"For starters," he said, handing Tony a scrub brush, "take this, put some soap on it, and scrub until the brown gritty stuff comes off." He handed Tony one of the easier pans, and set the soap closer to him.

"'Kay," Tony replied and took the brush from him. He squeezed some soap on it and began scrubbing. "Huh. This isn't even that hard."

Steve laughed, shaking his head. "No, not really. Now do you see why I keep saying I don't really mind?" He finished the pan he was working on and took the next, starting in on it.

"'I don't really mind' doesn't cut it for me," Tony responded absently. "In an ideal world, my sweetheart, which is you, would only ever do things he  _actively_ wanted to do."

"Maybe, but this isn't an ideal world, and there are certainly worse ways to spend my time. Even doing this I get to spend time with you, and that's enough for me."

"I want us to be able to spend time together every day. Not work all day and then come home tired and cranky," Tony sighed. "I can't wait for Easter." He handed Steve the pan he had cleaned.

"Even when I come home tired and cranky, coming home to you makes it all better. I agree, though. Getting away from it all will be quite nice." He set the clean pans in the drying rack, finishing up the last one while he spoke.

"You too, make it better I mean," Tony said and kissed his cheek. "Let's induce some excitement in the teenage parts of this family," he grinned.

"Agreed. Do you want to tell them or should I?" He smiled brightly, heading back over to the table where the boys were still sitting.

"I'll let you do the talking," Tony replied, squeezing Peter's shoulder casually as he walked by them before he took his seat. "And I'll watch you all smile."

Steve smiled over at Peter and Wade, placing his hands on the table. "So, what we wanted to talk to you two about was our plans for this Easter holiday coming up. We figured it might be nice to get away for a while, since everything's been so crazy lately. We were thinking we'd leave after you got out of school Friday, take the jet to the Malibu house, then come back Monday night in time for school to start back up. What do you two think of that?"

Peter had been listening intently and almost dumb-struck the moment Steve had mentioned 'holidays' and now broke out into a huge smile. "Dads, really?" he asked excitedly, leaning forward in his chair. For his parents being richer than god probably, they were insanely busy people, so family vacations were few and far in between, and made even more special by their rarity.

Wade perked up cautiously, looking over at Peter with slight disbelief. He echoed Peter, saying "Really?" as well.

Steve nodded, glad they were both on board. He didn't think they would have had a problem with it, but you never know with teenagers. "Yes, really. We pretty much left the trip pretty open. We want you two to be able to do whatever it is you'd like to do, so we didn't plan anything because we hadn't spoken with you."

Peter was already planning eagerly. "Oh yeah, Malibu, Wade the house there is awesome, and the beach! The beach!" He grasped Steve's hand and squeezed. "Thank you so much, Dads, this is going to be awesome!"

Tony smiled fondly at the teenagers. In that age, physical affection between a boy and his parents was a rarely initiated by the boy, so Peter wanting to hold Steve's hand he was so happy made his heart clench, in a good way.

Wade's apprehensive grin grew wider as Peter's excitement spread, and he gave Tony and Steve bright, grateful smiles.

"Yep, we're going to let you have mostly free reign of the property so long as you don't get in trouble or do anything stupid… but you're smart boys, so that won't be a problem," he replied. "You're welcome, son. We all need it, really, and I just know it's going to be great."

Tony chuckled at Peter practically bouncing in his seat. "Come on, kiddo, off you go. We all know you're dying to start packing," he said fondly. Peter grinned happily. "Can we?" he asked Steve, in case he wanted to add something.

"Well, I think you might be able to," he said to Peter, "but Wade probably wouldn't. If he packed what he had, he'd be out of clothes. Why don't you two head out and get him some tomorrow after school?" He paused, thinking for a moment before turning to Tony. "He's still got that credit card of yours, right sweets?"

"Yeah, we were planning on that anyway," Peter replied. "And I have the credit card, thanks, Dad."

"There you go," Tony nodded to Steve and smiled at him. That had gone exceptionally well.

"Alrighty then. You two can go and pack Peter's stuff, and Peter, you can help Wade pack tomorrow." Steve smiled. "I'm excited already."

Wade looked over at Tony and Steve, still feeling a bit awkward about spending their money. "You're sure that's alright? I can find a way to get more clothes myself, it wouldn't be that hard.."

Peter smiled at Steve while Tony almost looked offended. While he really tried to not show his love with buying stuff for people, he did enjoy spending money on the people he loved. "Of course it's alright. In fact, beside the necessities, we should set up an allowance for you too," he said.

Wade sputtered a bit, biting his lip as he looked down. "Alright, I guess I can get used to it. I mean, it still won't feel quite right, but.. if you insist."

"Well, you can do your share of chores if it'd make you feel better?" Tony suggested with a grin. "I'm sure Steve could set you up with some laundry or cleaning, right, honey?"

"Yeah, I can find him something," Steve replied with a grin. Wade nodded, starting to look less apprehensive. "Yeah, that would make me feel better," he agreed.

Tony pointed at Wade with a grin. "Look Peter, some people agree to do chores without having to be threatened or blackmailed," he said and Peter rolled his eyes, although it didn't have much impact with how wide he was still smiling. "Whatever," he said and tugged on Wade's sleeves. "We're going."

Wade smiled, happy to feel less like he was taking advantage of the family. "Just let me know what you need me to do," he managed before Peter dragged him off.

Steve grinned at the pair as they walked away, then looked back at Tony. "Well that went well," he noted. "We should try and figure out a way to make Wade let us spend money on him, though."

"Either ease him into it gently or buy him something huge tomorrow so he gets used to it," he grinned and shrugged. "It wasn't easy for you to accept gifts in the beginning either," he teased fondly.

"I can't think of anything he's said he wants, and asking would defeat the purpose, so I guess we'll have to ease him into it." He shrugged, ducking his head with a grin. "I'm from the forties, I'm allowed to be money-conscious."

Tony tugged his chair closer and laid his hand on Steve's shoulder. He kissed his husband's cheek tenderly. "You're allowed whatever you want to be, my darling," he said and smiled softly. He and Steve had taken a big and amazing step in their workings as a family today.

Steve smiled over at him. "Even if I wanted to be a sparkly purple princess?" he asked playfully.

Tony chuckled. "Sure." He weighed his head, considering it. "I could get into that, I guess, if I tried really hard. I don't know what Fury will say though, when you want to fight in glittery dresses."

"I'm pretty sure that if it came to it, they'd make me a star-spangled sparkly suit," he replied with a laugh.

Tony put his chin on Steve's shoulder. "I can make you one, if you want. Just say the word," he grinned.

"I'm sure you'd rather see me out of it than in, though." He smirked, a note of lust in his gaze.

"You know me so well," Tony sighed with chuckle and tilted his head towards Steve. "You know what else I'd rather do?"

"Hm, no. What would you rather do, sweets?"

"Not gonna guess?" Tony said and lowered his voice. "Let me show you then.." He raised a hand to gently grip Steve's chin and pressed their lips together.

Steve kissed him softly, pulling back marginally with a smile. "Ah, I should have known. But just to help me remember for next time, I think we'd better try again." He moved back in, closing the scant distance between them with another kiss.

"Let's make it memorable then," Tony whispered and climbed half out of his seat to get closer. "Wanna move somewhere?"

"Mm, yes. Our room?" he asked, lamenting the loss of Tony's warmth as he stood up.

"Lead me to your chambers, my princess," Tony agreed with a grin and stepped close to Steve again.

Steve chuckled, laying his arm over Tony's shoulder and holding him close. "You just totally ruined the moment, Tones, in both an adorable and humorous way."

Tony gave him a pout. "And there I was thinking I was carting to your secret wish to be a sparkly princess," he said and buried his face in his chest.

"I was just teasing, dollface." He stroked at Tony's hair with a grin, planting a kiss atop the man's head. "I'd rather be your knight in shining armor than a sparkly princess any day."

"It's fine," Tony mumbled into his shirt. "You can be my knight in a shining purple dress, I wouldn't mind."

"If that's what you want, I'm game. Whatever makes you happy," he answered with a shrug.

"No, I like you the way you are now," Tony said and smiled up at him. "You the way you are right now makes me happy."

"Then that's what I'll be," he said resolutely. "Hm.. want to go watch a movie or something, since we don't really have anything else to do today?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah," he said. Watching a movie with Steve meant cuddling on the couch and he was always down for that. "What do you want to watch?"

"Mm, I'm up for anything, really. Something funny or sweet would be nice, something we could fall asleep to if we got tired."

"Jarvis, you heard the man, funny and sweet movie in the living room, please," he said with a smile at Steve and stepped back a bit to pull Steve with him.

Steve let himself be led into the living room, and sat down on the couch, pulling Tony onto his lap. Jarvis had chosen 'Up' for them, which he wholeheartedly approved of. "Is this alright with you?"

"The movie or the position?" he asked and grinned. He replied to his own question before Steve could. "I'm good with both."

"Good." He moved slightly so they were in a more comfortable position, and he nuzzled into Tony's hair a bit as the movie began.

Tony leaned into him, finding Steve's hand to tangle their fingers together.


	23. Chapter 23

Bruce headed up to the living room to meet Clint at the planned time. He was nervous but excited, and luckily his usually clammy hands weren't sweating.. much. He wiped his hands on his pants, sitting down on the couch to wait for Clint.

Clint entered the living area in his best jeans and nervously smoothed his hands over the shirt Wade had deemed good. He found Bruce sitting on the couch and it drew out a smile. "Hey," he said and walked over to him. "Ready to head out?"

"Hey yourself." Bruce smiled shyly up at Clint, standing with a nod. "Yeah, I'm good. So, can you tell me where we're going yet?" he asked, trying not to let his eyes wander too much. (Could you blame him, though? The man was practically a walking Adonis, with his bronzed, muscular body, chiseled jaw, and blonde hair.)

"Yeah, I'm going to tell you now, so if you don't like it I can still whip out my plan B. I thought we'd do something a little more quiet," Clint explained. "Do you feel like having coffee, or uh, tea? There's this place that's really nice and they have sinful pastries."

"That actually sounds really nice. I'm all for quiet, and sinful pastries." he replied with a grin. "Guess you'll have to use plan B some other time."

Clint grinned. "Guess so," he said, pretty pleased that Bruce was so sure that he'd want to go out with Clint again. He had an amazing little café in mind that seated customers on large, softly padded armchairs among huge bookcases and precariously balanced piles of books. "Shall we?"

Bruce grinned back, giddy and nervous and excited all at once. "Yeah, let's head out. Er, actually, will we be outside much?" he asked, looking down at his jacket for a moment. "If we are then I think I'll want this, but if not I'll leave it here."

"Better take it," Clint replied after a moment of considering it. "If we're stuffed with sugary treats we might appreciate walking a little." And if they were having a great time he would hate to take Bruce home early because he was cold.

"Yeah, that makes sense." He shrugged it on quickly and zipped it up, then looked back to the archer. "I think we're good, then."

"Alright. Car's in the garage," he said. He had a SHIELD-issued vehicle that Tony was kind enough to store in his basement. He waited for Bruce to walk past him to fall into step next to him as they entered an elevator.

"So, how's your morning been?" he asked, placing his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't awkwardly fidget with them.

"Pretty much the usual. I got up early to train off all the steak yesterday and dodged Coulson's inquiring messages if I would be interested in a mission."

"Ah, I see." He chuckled, shaking his head a bit at Clinton and his cavalier attitude. "Why did you ignore Coulson, though? I thought you liked going out on ops?"

"Well, yeah, but I've done a lot lately and Coulson knows it, so he was asking and not ordering me. Which means it's not that important and they don't even really need me there that much," Clint shrugged. And he never knew, he might be sent out right away if the agreed and he had a date to attend. "I do like it though, usually. What about your morning? Busy in the lab?"

"Oh, well that makes sense. I suppose it's good that they give you the choice to decline missions you aren't really needed for." He was certainly glad they did, anyway, in case Clint had been told to leave right before their date. "Not too much. I've been working on your uniform a bit, but the material can only be fabricated so quickly. I did get a chance to look into your quiver problem, and I think I've found a way to fix it that shouldn't interfere with your movement."

"Oh? Awesome," Clint smiled. "Thank you." He lead Bruce to his car when the elevator stopped. Holding a door open for him, Clint waited for Bruce to take a seat. "Don't feel like you have to hurry with the uniform, although I'm thankful you're improving it."

Bruce sat down with a grateful, shy smile sent Clint's way, and he shrugged. "It's really no trouble. It's not as though it's keeping me from other work. Well.. it actually is," he admitted, "but I'd much rather be working on your suit." He pulled his seatbelt on, and waited for Clint to circle around the car.

"I appreciate it," Clint assured him, and he really was. It meant a lot that Bruce neglected other projects, just to do him a favor. He slid in the driver's seat. "Alright, the drive isn't very long. Would you like some music?"

"Some music would be nice, but I don't really know what's popular right now," he admitted. "Most of what I listen to is old or weird."

Clint smiled over at him while he smoothed them into traffic. "Well, what's been popular with you lately? Any favorite songs I should be aware of?"

"I like a lot of rock, but not quite the sort that Tony likes to listen to. Softer, but with more guitar and drums. And.. gosh, this is going to sound weird, but I really like country," Bruce replied with a nervous chuckle. "As for favorite songs, none come to mind at the moment. What about you?"

"Yeah, I like rock too, but Tony overdoes it, in my opinion." He sent Bruce a disbelieving glance. "Country? Alright, I guess I can get used to that." He turned on the city's country station on the radio and pretended to flinch to tease Bruce. "I've been told that my tastes are kind of trashy. I listen to pretty much what's in the charts at the moment too."

"Well, I don't know what's in the charts right now so I can't really say whether or not it's trashy, but I'm of the opinion that you like what you like," he said simply.

"Yeah, I mean, what're you gonna do? You can't stop liking it just because someone else doesn't," he agreed. They were almost at their destination now.

"I agree. Really, what's the point of arguing over music? A music discussion should be arguing the merits of the song itself, not insulting its listeners."

"Absolutely. There's no point arguing over it anyway," Clint said and pulled them into a parking spot. "Hungry?" he asked Bruce.

"Mm, a little bit. I ate lunch beforehand but kept it light since I didn't know what you had planned." He unbuckled his seatbelt, getting out and shutting the door. He took an appraising look at the place they'd stopped, and grinned. "Looks nice and cozy. I like it."

"I'm glad," Clint said when he joined him. "It is, cozy I mean." He held the door to the café open for Bruce and for the first time noticed how his heart was pounding. He was pretty nervous, and kind of scared he might screw up somehow.

Bruce walked in with a smile sent Clint's way, and absently wiped his palms on his pants. He was surprised to find that his hands weren't sweaty for once. He figured, with how nervous he was feeling, that they would be, but maybe that was just a testament to how calm he felt around the archer. As he walked inside, he looked around and promptly fell in love with the quiet, intimate atmosphere of it all. "This is really great. I'm almost jealous that you didn't share this with me sooner, but I like that you chose to take me here."

Clint looked around the room and smiled despite his slight anxiety. He shrugged gently. "I'm trying to keep it a secret from Tony. They make really good coffee," he joked and pointed to a booth in the far corner, overtowered by books on the one side and lit up by a window on the other. "Over there?" he suggested.

"Oh, well then I definitely agree with the decision," he assured, grinning. "Yep, that's fine by me." He waited for Clint to head over, following behind him closely and settling in across from him. "So, what would you recommend I try?"

Clint sunk into the soft chair and leaned back with a happy sigh. He hesitated. "You like tea over coffee, right? I haven't tried many of their teas, but," he picked up a menu from the coffee table, "they have quite a selection. As for food, they're really small portions, so we can try more than one. I like the nougat cookies."

"I generally prefer tea over coffee, yes, but I like both." He picked up the other menu, taking a look through it. "Gosh, everything just sounds so good," he murmured absently. "Nougat cookies sounds like a good choice for first, though."

"Alright, and for the tea?" Clint asked, preparing to get up to place their order at the counter. "I'll get us nougat cookies, and maybe a bunch of other stuff so we can try different things," he told Bruce and smiled at him. He looked perfectly at home in one of Clint's favorite places.

"Oh, I don't even know.. hm… probably an Earl Grey or Oolong, if they've got it." He smiled back at Clint, a bit unused to the attention he was receiving from Clint but not unappreciative.

Clint got their drinks, ordering an Earl Grey for Bruce and a sweet caffeine bomb for himself. He balanced them back to their table before heading to the counter again to pick up some sweets. Smiling, he returned with his hands full of goodies.

Bruce let his tea cool down for a moment, but he had tasted it by the time Clint returned for the second time. He grinned up at Clint, taking some of the sweets from him as he approached. "Here, let me help you with those," he said quietly. "I haven't even had any of the pastries yet, but you're already quite right about the tea. It's got all of the right notes of flavor in it, and something else I can't quite put my finger on but it's great." He sat the treats down on the table, separating them by type a bit. "These all look amazing, I don't know where to start."

"Thanks," Clint said with a grin, quite pleased that Bruce liked the tea. "I'm glad." He settled down in his chair again and watched Bruce arrange the food on the table with a smile. "Well, just pick one. I won't tell you what it is, unless you want me to? But you can try and guess what you just had," he suggested, reaching for a nougat cookie himself.

"Nah, I'd rather be surprised," he decided, looking down and trying to choose which one to try first. He settled on a brown cookie with some sort of red icing on it, and the first bite brought forth an explosion of flavor. "Holy hell, that's good," he muttered once he was finished with that bite. "I'm thinking chocolate and cherry for that one?"

"Yes," Clint confirmed and chuckled. "There's some coconut under the icing," he added before starting to munch on his cookie. He watched Bruce keenly, enraptured by his facial expressions.

"Oh, so that's what that was," he commented absently. He picked up another once, this one a soft yellow color with white icing. As soon as he bit into it his mouth was filled with a sharp, sugary tang. "If that's not lemon I have no idea," he said.

"There's two that look like that, let me have a bite," Clint said and caught the wrist of the hand that was holding the cookie. He pulled it into his reach gently before he bit a tiny piece off to get the taste. He looked Bruce in the eye and let his hand go.

Bruce was a bit floored by that. No one had ever been that brash with him, that unguarded.. and to be honest, he loved it. He loved that Clint would take chances, be daring. He was quickly becoming addicted to the agent and his attitude, and he found that he didn't really mind. Once he caught up with his thoughts, he sent Clint another smile, in a small attempt to show that he was okay with that. "Have you had that one before? What did you think of it?"

Clint was relieved at Bruce's smile, glad that he hadn't minded the impulsive, rather thoughtless touch. It wasn't that he didn't trust Bruce to control himself, even if startled, he did, and anyway, he liked the Other Guy too, but he knew that Bruce was a careful person and he didn't want him to feel like he was testing him. He smacked his lips when he had swallowed his bite of the cookie. "I don't think so? They mix up what they sell quite a lot, I guess they have so many good recipes they need to rotate. But it's good. I like it."

"Mm, I see. Whatever it is, I definitely enjoyed it." Bruce reached for another cookie, this time a soft brown with a dusting of what looked to be cinnamon. "This one looks good, too.. maybe some sort of snicker doodle derivative?" He hummed, taking a small bite out of it. "Definitely tastes like snicker doodle, but almost spicier. Would you like some?" he asked, holding the cookie out to Clint.

"Sure," Clint nodded and almost leaned over and ate it out of his hand, but lost his nerve in the last second. He gave Bruce a flustered little laugh, took the cookie from him and if their fingers brushed for a moment, that was _purely_ coincidental. "I like this one, it really is based on a snicker doodle, I believe."

Bruce's heart sped up at Clint's almost-action, and the adorably nervous laugh that followed. He sent the other man a soft smile as the brief brush of their hands sent a thrum of warmth through him, and nodded. "Definitely. Y'know, snickerdoodles are actually my favorite kind of cookie. What's yours?"

Clint groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Oh god, my favorite? I can't choose.. No, okay, I'm going to go with," he took a deep breath and let his hands fall, grinning at Bruce. "Peanut butter. Peanut butter cookies. I like those a lot." He picked one up from their selection and held it up. "The ones they make here are amazing."

"Oh, me too. Not quite my favorite, but definitely top five." He looked down at the pastry in Clint's hand, and wished for a moment that he had the nerve that the other man seemed to possess, that he had the guts to lean forward and take a bite out of the cookie where Clint held it. He didn't, however, so he looked back up. "Mind if I try it?" he asked, another bout of nerves flooding in for some reason.

"Absolutely not, in fact, please do," Clint said, but snatched the cookie back before Bruce could take it. "Let me try something," he grinned mischievously and held up the cookie again. "Open your mouth?"

Bruce nodded, confused but willing to comply, and opened his mouth and leaned forward slightly.

Clint grinned and broke off a piece of the cookie. "Wider," he ordered with a chuckle and leaned back to aim. "Brace yourself, I'm gonna try to throw."

Bruce complied, but found it very hard not to laugh. "I'm not worried you'll miss or anything, but what on earth compelled you to do this?" he asked, feeling more at ease with another person than he had in a while.

Clint smiled brightly, because Bruce laughing had been his goal exactly. "I want you to have fun, is all. Don't worry, if I miss, you can get back at me," he said and let the piece of cookie fly over the table, not completely happy with the angle, but hoping Bruce would be able to catch it anyway.

"I don't think you'll miss, but okay." The shot didn't sail quite true, and it landed on his nose. Bruce stared at it cross-eyed for a moment before laughing, taking it off and taking a small bite of the piece. "These are just as good as the rest," he decided. "If not better."

"I wouldn't miss if I could shoot it on an arrow, but I figure lethal injury on the first date wouldn't make a very good impression," he replied, laughing at the piece of cookie landing perfectly on Bruce's nose. He broke off another piece and held it up. "Want another one?"

"Yeah, I'd say that would significantly reduce your chances for a second date." He grinned, nodding. "Yeah, sure. Think you can make it this time?"

Clint grinned. "I think so. I will at least try to not hit you in the eye," he said and tossed the cookie. It flew a beautiful curve and Clint mentally congratulated himself.

Bruce actually managed to catch that one, and it landed nicely on his tongue. "Mm, yum. Nice shot."

Clint laughed. "Thank you," he said with a playful smile. He opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. "Now you try."

"Oh hell, this isn't going to go well," he muttered, amused. However, he broke off another piece and threw it gently Clint's way, hoping it wasn't too off course.

It was a little off course, but Clint leapt half over the armrest of his chair and caught it, barely. It clacked against his teeth, but he managed to pin it between his lips. He let himself fall back into the chair and swallowed the cookie. "I see you have excellent aim," he teased with a chuckle.

"Yeah," he said, laughing. "Except for that part where I don't. That was rather amusing, but I think I'd better leave the marksmanship to you."

Clint picked up a cookie and enjoyed the sweet chocolatey taste. "Yeah, you can count on me, I'll have your back on the battlefield. And in cookie-tossing competitions."

"Good to know I can rely on you as a teammate in any circumstance," he agreed. "Though I think you might want a better catcher for cookie-tossing competitions.. hm.. I wonder how the other guy would fare," he mused, pondering that for a moment.

Clint laughed out loud in amusement at the mental picture. "You know what? I'll bring some cookies to the next battle and if we have a moment I'll check. You think he'd be up for it?" Clint asked with a smile and humor sparkling in his eyes.

"I don't know, but he tends to like you. I think he'd be open to anything that involves you.. y'know, I actually think he might have a bit of a crush on you," he admitted, loving the mirth in the archer's eyes.

Clint chuckled and met Bruce's eye. "You know what, I wouldn't mind that at all," he said and meant it. For as much as people feared the other guy, Clint had a soft spot for him about a mile wide. It helped, of course, that he associated him with Bruce a lot.

Bruce was surprised by the sincerity in Clint's eyes, but he didn't look away. Couldn't, really. "Well that's good, I suppose, because I don't really think there's any dissuading him."

Clint smiled and picked up his coffee. It was strange, a little, to have a first date with Bruce after knowing him for so long. He couldn't really ask him the usual questions about what he did for a living, or what his hobbies were. Or could he? "I'm going to pretend I've never met you before," he said and grinned. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself?"

"Alright, I cam give it a shot.. but I don't think there will be much you don't know." He paused, thinking for a moment about what he would say. "Well, I work in physics, for starters. I live in this amazing tower surrounded by people that actually care about me, for once. That was a nice surprise. Hmm... My favorite fruit is mango, I like historical fiction novels, and once I have a puzzle stuck in my head I won't be able to leave it alone until I've solved it. Your turn, then. Tell me more about the elusive Clint Barton."

"You like mango?" Clint asked. He hadn't been aware of that. "Alright, about me.. I work for a secret agency, so I can't really talk about what I do," he grinned at Bruce conspiratorially. "But suffice it to say that me and my team save he world for a living. I'm interested in birds, archery and trashy reality shows."

"Yeah, love it." Bruce sent him back the same grin, smiling brightly. "Oh really? Interesting. Which shows do you like? I have to admit, I like a few as well. Say Yes To The Dress in particular."

"Oh, Say Yes To The Dress is awesome," Clint perked up. "But I've been watching a lot of Project Runway and Keeping Up with the Kardashians lately." He chuckled. "Since a few weeks ago, Natasha's been inconspicuously hanging around when I watch it. All she does is complain and insult the TV, but I know she's secretly hooked."

"I like Project Runway too, but not so much Kardashians," he replied with a grin. "Natasha? Really? Never figured her for the type, but i suppose now that I think about it I can see it."

"I guess she didn't figure herself to be the type either," Clint grinned. "You should come watch with us sometime. It's hilarious, she always looks like she's two seconds away from stabbing someone. Either herself, or Heidi Klum, I haven't completely figured it out yet. Maybe both. I just hope it isn't me." He chuckled.

"That sounds fun, let me know when you watch next." Bruce chuckled, shaking his head. "Hah, try not to get stabbed anytime soon.. I think she's changed a lot since everyone came to live in the tower. It's definitely in a good way, though. She seems a lot less guarded, and more open. I mean, I don't know her as well as you do, but that's just what I see." He shrugged, taking another piece of cookie.

"No, you're right. She's doing well, living in the tower," Clint replied, watching Bruce over the rim of his cup as he took a sip. "You too, if my observation skills aren't failing me completely. You seem calmer and.. happier."

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling softly. "I really am. A small part of me still worries that it's all going to be taken away from me, that it's all a dream and I'm going to wake up in India, on the run again," he confessed. He looked down, bringing his cup up for another sip of tea. "It's not always like that, though. Sometimes I can convince myself to believe in this, to believe that I'll get to keep my family."

Clint was silent for a moment, contemplative. "Me too," he admitted finally. "You all have given me so much more than I deserve, I sometimes think it's a dream." He wanted to reach over the table and hold Bruce's hand to show him that he was with him and he wasn't going anywhere, but they weren't exactly sitting close. He'd do it later, maybe, if he found a moment. "You get to keep me, that's for sure."

Bruce's smile grew. "You're actually the one thing I still can't believe, no matter how hard I try. I mean, why would someone like you like someone like me?" He shrugged. "You get to keep me too, though. As long as neither of us wake up from this dream of ours," he added.

Clint blinked at him. "You're kidding, right? You're like as cool and amazing as a person can get! I can't see through you at all, but was I can see, it's fucking beautiful," he said, leaning forward in his intensity. One of the reasons Clint had never made a serious move on Bruce before was that there was no way he was good enough for the scientist.

"Uh, no, you must be kidding," he said, trying in vain to hide the flush that had risen on his face. "I'm a literal walking time bomb. You, however, are the exact opposite- calm, controlled, levelheaded, amazingly smart even though no one realizes it. And you're strong, so strong. I know you don't like to bring it up, but none of the rest of us would have been able to handle Loki the way you did. " He reached forward, taking Clint's hand that had moved to the table when he leaned in. "Clearly you're the better pick here," he said sincerely.

Clint squeezed Bruce's hand. "Thank you," he said and swallowed thickly. "Thank you for saying that. It means a lot that you think of me that way. But you shouldn't put yourself down like that. Everyone is a walking time bomb, we all can lose control of ourselves sometimes. That you have that much more to control just makes it even more impressive."

Bruce chuckled quietly, giving Clint a soft, small smile. "I don't think either of us will ever agree with the other. I mean, I could argue all day about how great you are, but we wouldn't really get anywhere." He gently brushed over the back of the archer's hand, using his other hand to take a small sip of his tea. "However, I will argue one more thing- my control isn't so much control as it is a desire to keep those around me safe. I couldn't bear it if I hurt one of the team. Especially you."

Clint weighed his words carefully before he voiced a thought he'd been having for a long time. "I don't think the other guy would hurt me," he said quietly. "So I'm not afraid."

He sighed, nipping at his lip for a moment. "The other guy doesn't.. he isn't rational like that, Clint. Sure, you might be able to reason with him for a moment, but once he gets going, nothing and no one will stop him, no matter how much I care about someone. He will tear you to pieces just because you're there," he said, trying hard to get Clint to believe him. "Please don't get too close to him.. I don't think I could handle hurting you."

Clint resisted the urge to sigh impatiently. "I swear he recognizes me, Bruce. You said it yourself that he likes me." It pained him that Bruce was so at war with himself, but he understood it, to some extent, that he had made very bad experiences that had horrific consequences. "I don't think that he would hurt me on purpose, but I promise you to not put myself into unnecessary danger by letting my guard down around him."

"He likes you, yes, like a toddler likes a pretty thing. There may be feeling beyond that, but he's not capable of understanding or applying it," he argued defeatedly. "It's the 'on purpose' that worries me. Nothing he does is on purpose, he's just a swirl of chaos and anger, all of it uncontrollable." He gave Clint a weak smile, thankful for the slight acquiescence. "Good. Just.. remember that. And, since I know your definition of 'unnecessary danger'," he continued, now smirking a bit, "please use Steve's definition of it."

He let out a laugh at that. "But Steve is like the biggest mother hen of all time," he complained and thought about teasing Bruce for comparing him to a 'pretty thing'. "Why don't you let me use my own definition. I've been flying pretty well with it, considering that the other guy hasn't hurt me yet in years of working together."

"Yes, I know he is- that's why I told you to use it." Bruce grinned. "That may be true, but I haven't liked you this much that whole time.. well, I actually have, for a fair bit of it, but I've only recently let myself acknowledge it."

Clint's expression softened and he cleared his throat awkwardly, definitely not grinning like an idiot. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you did. You might already know this, because I was kind of pathetic about it, but I've, uh.. admired you for a long time." Bruce had for ages been that distant, unreachable crush to him that he had no hope of getting with, but pined after and almost contently watched from afar.

Bruce blushed, looking up slightly with a grin that matched Clint's in brightness. "I didn't, actually.. I had no idea you liked me until Steve started teasing you about it, and even then I didn't get my hopes up until you came down to the lab with that cute nervous look on your face."

"Uhm, cute nervous look?" Clint asked with a chuckle. "Not me, no way." He picked up a cookie and ate it in two bites.

"Yep, definitely you. You're wearing it now, actually. I have to admit, I quite like it, especially when it's directed at me."

"Well, no one else really manages to make me quite that nervous anymore, except for Natasha and Phil, but then I'm nervous because they might one day decide that they've had enough of my shit and just kill me already," he laughed.

"Ah, I see. Glad to know I make you nervous.. though not in the same way as Natasha and Phil, though. I don't plan on killing you any time soon, and it would take a lot for me to have enough of you."

"Not in the same way," he agreed. While with Natasha or Phil he might be worried about physical harm, with Bruce it was much more the emotional harm he could do, because his affections towards him also made him very vulnerable to get hurt. "They've got quite a few years ahead of you, so I wouldn't say that just yet," Clint joked. "But I'm glad you're so optimistic."

"That may be true, yes, but I also don't plan on letting you go any time soon. So, hopefully, I can get some practice," he said with a small smirk. "If you'll have me, that is."

"I would love to have you, Bruce," Clint replied sincerely. To avoid making this into a more dramatic moment than necessary, he picked up another cookie. There weren't all that many left by now.

Bruce took a cookie as well, nibbling on it softly as he reflected over what all had just happened. "Uh, sorry," he said after a moment. "I kind of made that get all intense for a bit there. I didn't mean to freak you out and word vomit on our first date."

Clint smiled softly. "It's completely fine, really. Intense is good, better than meaningless smalltalk. I guess thus isn't the typical first date anyway. We've known each other way too long for that."

"That's true. And, y'know, it's us. I'm not sure either of us are ever anywhere typical," he said with a small grin. "I'd rather have important conversations than meaningful small talk too, I just don't want to scare you off."

"I'm not scared off that easily," Clint said. "I knew there would be issues to work around, because we're not exactly typical, but I knew that I'm prepared for that." It would all be worth it.

"If you're sure you want to deal with me and my shit, it doesn't seem like I can stop you," he acquiesced. He leaned forward a bit, taking a last sip of his tea and emptying his mug.

"How'd you like the tea?" he asked, noticing that Bruce had finished his serving. His coffee was as good as empty too. "Would you like some more?"

"I loved it, but I don't know," he said, slightly apprehensive. "I'm not sure if I can finish another. You and your cookies filled me up, sir," he teased, grinning.

"Okay," Clint said easily, "Do you feel like walking for a bit?" If he did, they could leave the car at the café for Clint to pick up later, or tomorrow, and make a walk through the city that would take them back home to the tower. He snatched one more cookie, leaving the remaining snickerdoodle for Bruce.

"I wouldn't mind that. Thanks," he said with a smile, picking up the last cookie and nibbling on it. "Walking sounds nice, and the weather's great today. Where did you have in mind?"

Clint smiled widely and shrugged. "Wherever. In the direction of the tower, preferably, but otherwise nowhere specific." It was a rather nice part of the city anyway.

"Fine by me. I've wanted to see more of this part of town for a while, actually."

"Perfect, then." He leaned back in his chair, his hand slipping from Bruce's, and he finished his coffee with a content sigh. "They always make the coffee exactly the way I like it here. Every single time. Regular coffee just doesn't live up to it anymore. Don't tell Tony though, I think he's very proud of his coffee machine.

"I'm pretty sure he put an AI in his coffee machine," he said contemplatively. "Rudimentary, but I swear it's there. I'm marginally afraid, actually. However, I might be ruined for tea as well… but can't say I mind," he continued, smirking. "Just another reason to come back here with you."

"I would like that," Clint replied with an almost shy smile. "I know what you mean, I messed up pushing one of the buttons to make coffee recently and was already a bit annoyed because I messed up my coffee, but it came out exactly the way I usually drink it. Weird. An AI would explain some things. And not just in the coffee machine."

"Yeah, happened to me too. What other things do you think have it?"

"It could have been Jarvis, or course, but I think the elevators are monitored too. I took one to ground level once and forgot my jacket, which sucked, but no big deal, I was just going to go without, but when the elevator doos opened, I was on my floor again, without pushing any buttons. You can't tell me that's normal."

"No.. I'd have to agree, definitely not normal. I'm pretty sure his cars have Jarvis in them as well, and that, just so you know, is scary as all hell. Imagine driving down the highway when his voice, out of absolutely nowhere, tells you you've got low fuel."

Clint imagined the scare and it cracked him up. He snorted. "I wonder if Tony uses Jarvis to flush his toilet when he's done," he said and rose from his chair, coffee empty and all cookies eaten now.

Bruce rose as well, picking up the little bit of trash they'd acquired. "Honestly, that would not surprise me in the least. I bet Jarvis brushes his teeth, too."

"Maybe not Jarvis, but Dummy, possibly," Clint grinned. "Or maybe Steve. As glued to each other as they are it isn't all that far fetched." He led Bruce to a trashcan by the door, but not before picking up a small baggie of snickerdoodle cookies to take home.

"Yeah, Steve would make most sense." He grinned, tossing the trash in the can. "So, where did you say we'd be walking?"

"Wherever you want to go," Clint said and held the door open for Bruce. "Lead the way. The tower is in this direction, if you want to head there." He pointed out the direction.

Bruce stepped out, giving him a slightly uncertain look. "I don't really know my way around this part of the city.. I wouldn't want to get us lost. Maybe it'd be better if you lead."

Clint laughed and followed after him. "Alright, follow me then," he chuckled. "We wouldn't get lost anyway though, don't worry. There isn't a person in this city that couldn't point out the direction of our tower."

"True, maybe, but I'll feel better following someone that knows where we are," he said with a grin. He swung his hand a bit, feeling a faint impulse to reach out for Clint's hand, but he wasn't sure how the gesture would be received- by Clint, or the people around them. He'd rather not have their first date ruined by homophobes just because he wanted a bit of affection.

Clint felt hyper-aware of Bruce, where he was, how he moved and he looked around a bit if anyone was paying attention to them. When they reached a crossroad he bravely reached for Bruce's hand to pull him in the right direction. "This way," he said and smiled at Bruce, well aware that Bruce would see through his scheme to hold his hand immediately, but it also left an opening for Bruce to let go if he didn't want to hold hands once they were on the right track again.

Bruce smiled back, unexpectedly grateful for the small gesture. For some reason, Clint seemed to be amazing at reading him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He kept ahold of Clint's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze once they were going the right direction again. "I really need to learn my way around. I've lived here for ages, I really should get out more."

"Well, it's a little difficult when almost everybody knows you," Clint pointed out. They were no Tony Stark, but as a part of the Avengers their faces were relatively well known, Bruce's a little less than Clint's because he mostly showed up as the Hulk.

"I suppose you're right. For you more so than me, but still." He swung their still-linked hands gently, looking around. "I do love this area, though. It's sort of what my mental picture of New York looked like, before I ever came here."

Clint nodded to agree with him. "It is a beautiful city, when you know what to look at and where to go."

"I agree. What's your favorite part of it all?" he asked, smiling over at him.

"There's just a particular atmosphere around here, I don't really know how to describe it," Clint grinned back. He shrugged. "Hard to top the view from the tower though, it's gotta be the best in the whole city. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean. Hard to put into words, but I get your drift." He nodded, looking around some more. "I love the view from the tower; the height of it is a staggering rush, but it makes me feel like I'm on top of the world, like no one can touch me. Like I'm finally safe for once."

"Well, that's what home's supposed to feel like, right?" he replied and smiled at Bruce. It had been incredibly generous of Tony to open the doors to his home to them all, to share his sanctuary. No need to sroke the guy's ego even more though. "Although it's more the people than the place that makes it home, to me at least."

Bruce smiled softly over at him. "Yeah, I think so. I hadn't had a home for a while before Tony, so I don't have much to compare it to, but that's what I'd call this feeling. Home. It is definitely the people, though. I could go anywhere in the world and call it home as long as you and everyone else was there."

Home had never been a particularily easy to grasp concept to Clint either, but over the years he had learned a lot about it, or rather the avengers had taught him. "Go home or make a home, right?" he commented absently.

"Yep. I never really had one to go to, but I'd like to think I've made one for myself," he agreed.

Clint smiled warmly at him and squeezed his hand. "My home is where my heart is," he said, before pointing down a street they passed. "Look, you can see the top of the tower from here."

Bruce smiled shyly again in return, wondering why it had taken so long for him to realize that he should be with Clint. Then again, he thought, maybe they just needed the time. Time to learn, time to trust, time to grow comfortable. "Huh. Is there anywhere you can't see it, really?"

Clint tilted his head in thought. "Well, I guess the view's blocked by buildings sometimes, but if you stood on the roof you'd see it, yeah." They were already getting progressively closer, so it popped up in their line of sight more and more often. Clint felt like he could just walk right past, just keep walking with Bruce, holding his hand, basking in the calmness and happiness Bruce's presence brought out in him.

"Just curious.. is there any taller building? I can't remember the exact stats, is it tallest?" He was half-tempted to slow down, to hold on to the feeling thrumming through him.

"I don't actually know," Clint admitted. "It's gotta be one of the tallest, at least." He tried to recall the exact view they had from the top floor, if there was a building in sight that looked taller, but it was harder to judge the further they were in the distance. He told Bruce so.

"Yeah, that makes sense.. I know we're getting closer to home, but.. I've had a really nice time with you," he said with a small smile. "This was a lot of fun."

Clint ducked his head and smiled brightly. "Thank you, I' m glad. Me too, I had a nice time. I like spending time with you. We should do it again sometime, I mean, if you'd like.."

"I really like spending time with you too, and I'd love to do it again. However.. I don't know how you'll top this for a date," he teased. "Or... wait, does this make it my turn to come up with something?"

"Well, I certainly can't top this in regards to snacks," he grinned. "I bet there's a lot more we could do together though. We'll just have to spend more time together to find out what we might enjoy." He sighed, like it was a hardship, but his never wavering smile gave him away. "If you come up with something though, do let me know."

"I'm certainly not opposed to that… unlike you, mister." He smiled, going along with the joke easily. "I have sort of an idea, but I'm not sure if you'll like it."

Clint chuckled. "Try me," he said, curious what Bruce had in mind.

"Well.. there's this yoga studio I've been wanting to try out, but I'm kind of nervous to go by myself." He looked over at Clint apprehensively, unsure of how he'd take the suggestion.

Clint's eyebrows rose slightly at the mental image of himself doing yoga, but he shrugged. "I've never seriously tried yoga, but I'm not against it. I'd do it with you. We should go check out that studio you want to try," he replied.

"Hm.. I think you'd be really good at it, with how flexible you are, and I've always found it pretty calming. I'd have to look at the schedule to see when their next open class is, though.. why don't I do that and let you know?"

"Sure, sounds good," Clint agreed. He was already looking forward to it, to spending time with Bruce at least, and yoga, how hard could it be? "I'll kick some yoga ass."

"Only if you're sure," he stressed. Clint had taken him on such a wonderful date that he wouldn't want to subject the other man to a less-than-pleasant second.

Clint squeezed his hand and smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure. And even if I turn out to be horrible at it, you'll at least have someone to laugh at."

"I doubt you would be anything but good at it, but even if you were I wouldn't laugh. That would be mean. I'm not Tony, remember?" He grinned, teasing.

Clint laughed. "Thank god you're not Tony. Steve would kill me for hitting on you. You can still laugh though, I'm confident enough in my abilities, I don't mind. I'm not Tony, remember?" He grinned.

Bruce laughed, nodding. "That's true, I wouldn't want you to get on a super-soldier's bad side. I'm glad you're not Tony too, 'cause I don't find him near as attractive as I find you." He bit his lip and blushed, not entirely having meant to say that but not willing to take it back.

Clint coughed in surprise, but smiled. "That's.. I'm glad. You too, just for the record. Tony has nothing on you."

"I don't think that's true myself, but it's nice to hear just the same." He smiled back, looking up as the tower loomed closer and closer. "I don't really want to go back," he admitted.

"We don't have to," Clint shrugged. "We can go wherever you want. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't really know or care, to be honest. I'm just having fun with you and I don't want to part ways at the elevator and go back to my lab. Not that I don't like it, I just.. like you more."

Clint tilted his head and smiled, touched. "That makes me very happy to hear," he said softly, voice slightly hoarse. He cleared his throat, thinking about where they could go, besides walking until their legs felt tired. "I could come to the lab with you?" he suggested.

"Makes me happy to say, once I realized it." He shrugged, and there definitely wasn't another flush coloring his face. "I'd like that, as long as you wouldn't be too bored."

"I wouldn't," Clint said decidedly. "I don't get half of the stuff you're doing, but I find it interesting anyway." And Bruce looked super hot in a lab coat.

"Feel free to ask questions, I actually like teaching about what I do. I'd actually considered teaching before the accident." His grin grew brighter, and now he wasn't quite as opposed to their date ending, since it wouldn't be completely over. (Really, since he wouldn't have to leave Clint.)

"Really? I can imagine you as a teacher," Clint said. "I bet you'd have a lot of your students crushing on you. Where were you going to teach? University?"

"You can? Thanks, I've never had that said before." He blushed, looking away but holding fast to Clint's hand. "I doubt anyone but you would think that, but I like hearing that it nonetheless. I was thinking of teaching at Culver if anywhere, since I knew the campus."

"Did they actually offer you a teaching post there? Or was it just something that you thought about sometimes, but would probably never have actually applied for?" Clint asked, interested.

"I was actually seriously thinking of applying once my research was done, 'cause they like you to have one big finding under your belt.. I got that one big finding," he explained with a slight smirk, "but I doubt they'd let me on as a teacher given my alter ego."

"Why not? You'd have the best-behaved class ever. Nobody would dare making you angry, so the grade average would be incredible." Clint chuckled into his palm. "Do you ever miss your work there?"

"I would have a pretty significant intimidation factor, but I'd rather they be good students because they like me, not because I scare them. Also, I'm pretty sure the school's insurance would consider me an uninsurable liability."He paused for a moment, contemplating Clint's question. "I don't know, I guess. I think I miss the environment more than the work, really. I'd finally gained some respect for my work, and it showed in how people interacted with me, but after the incident I'm just that fuckup physicist whose experiment went wrong. I mean, experiments go bad all the time, but very few go bad on this scale."

Clint eyed him carefully, worried if he had offended Bruce with his joke. "I'm sure they'd like you anyway. It's impossible not to," he said, then hummed in acknowledgement. "That must really suck to be judged like that just because of a single mistake, sorry. But you're pretty well respected now? And I bet Tony's lab has better equipment than your old place," he tried to cheer him up.

Bruce noted Clint's slight worry, and shot him a small, reassuring grin. "You may think that, but you also have a 'fuck the consequences' attitude, and you're ridiculously daring. Don't get me wrong, I like it and it's actually kind of hot. It's just that not many people are quite so accepting of my anger management problem." He shrugged, nodding. "It does suck, but I'd like to hope people can learn from my mistake, and see me as a better person now for what I'm doing with the outcome of my mistake. You're right, though, Tony's lab has way better equipment, and I happen to like him far more than my old lab partners."

Clint shrugged. "It's in my job description to be daring." They rounded a corner, approaching the tower. "If someone doesn't respect you because of the other guy, they're stupid. And blind, because you're really quite amazing and if what they see of you doesn't change their opinion, then you don't need their approval anyway."

He nodded, taking the opinion at face value. "I'm glad you think so. I wish you could convince a few other people of that, but, eh. Their approval doesn't really matter. Hasn't for a while."

"Good," Clint commented. "Makes life a lot easier when you're not constantly concerened with what other people think." Even if it could occasionally sting.

Bruce stepped forward as they came up to the doors of the tower, and opened it to let Clint in first. "True. I mean, my insanely large guilt complex often complicates things, but it's easy to ignore the opinions of people that don't understand."

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you're great," Clint said easily and stepped into their home. "With or without the other guy."

He grinned, a bit surprised but mostly pleased. "Your opinion tends to carry more weight than most," he admitted.

Clint smiled happily. "Awesome," he said. "Wanna head to the lab or is there anything you need to do before?"

"Nah, I'm good if you are," he replied with a shrug.

"I'm very good," Clint replied with a slight smirk, not really referring to whether or not he needed to do stuff before they could hang out. He held up the bag of cookies. "Let me just drop those off in the kitchen. I need to hide them well, between Thor, Steve and Peter, I'm lucky if they last until tomorrow."

"That you are," he answered with a smirk, catching and returning the real meaning. "However, I'm not really sure the kitchen would be the best place to hide those if you don't want them eaten. Your room might be a better place," he pointed out.

Clint nodded. "You're right, I'll put them in my room then. Unless you want to have some in the lab? They're snickerdoodles."

"Hmm.. tempting, maybe too tempting. I'll get fat," he said playfully.

"What?" Clint sputtered. "You're not going to get fat, least of all from a few cookies."

"I know I won't, especially with the metabolism I got from the other guy. I was just teasing," he replied, starting to head down to the lab.

"Alright, just making sure you don't have a body image like a teenage girl," Clint replied. "Although, as a doctor you probably know ten times better than me what exact nutrition, or over-nutrition, does to a body. I'm kind of just eating what grabs my fancy, or what Steve puts in front of me, basically, and hoping my training schedule will make up for it."

"Well," Bruce admitted with a chuckle, "I'm not exactly that kind of doctor. I do know the basics, though, and you're more than fine. Er, rather, your diet is more than fine." He ducked his head, looking away in slight embarrassment; he hadn't exactly meant to let that slip.

Clint bit his lip and chuckled. "Thank you, for both the professional opinion and the personal one," he said. He fidgeted with the bag of cookies in his hand. "I'll take these up to my room. I'll meet you in the lab in a few minutes?" Clint stopped walking and hoped Bruce would stop for a second too.

Bruce slowed to a stop when Clint did, turning back to him. "Yeah, sounds great." And it'll give me time to stop thinking about how good you look in those clothes.

Clint nodded and was about to turn into another hallway when he told himself to get his shit together and just go for it. "Hey, Bruce," he said and caught his sleeve. He pulled them together and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Thank you."

"Hm?" Bruce gasped softly when he was pulled in, but once he figured out what Clint was doing he was more than okay with it. When their lips met, he felt a shock of pure rightness thrum through him, and he brought his hand up to the side of Clint's face, almost without even thinking about it. He gave him a lovestruck grin, and before he realized what he was doing, he moved in for another. Still short, but still just as right. When they pulled apart from that, Bruce removed his hand and his face heated up a bit, but he had a beaming smile on his face. "Um, I think I should really be the one thanking you here."

Clint smiled softly, glad that Bruce had accepted his kiss so easily, and even better than that, seemed to want to kiss him just as much. "We'll just thank each other then," he said, and let Bruce's sleeve slip out of his grasp. He cleared his throat. "Uh, I'll just, yeah. To my room, with the cookies."

"Oh. Uh. Yeah, meet you in the lab, then." His smile was probably pretty dopey, but it was warranted. He turned around and went down to the lab, letting out a giddy, happy sigh once he was alone. Clint had actually kissed him, and nothing had happened. he hadn't even felt whisperings of the Hulk. In fact, he'd almost felt.. contentedness, maybe even approval coming from that part of his head.


	24. Chapter 24

"I do _not_ remember our literature lessons ever being this boring," Wade moaned to Peter, while they were elbowing their way through the crowded hallways, full of students eager to get home. He had a folder with the papers the school administration had given him for his legal guardians to sign tucked carefully under his arm. "Why was I so enthusiastic about coming back to school again?" he asked and threw Peter a grin.

Peter laughed, shaking his head and grinning right back. "No, trust me. They were always that boring, and they always will be. And you wanted to come back because you missed me," he teased, shoving him playfully.

"I can see you _and_ not go to school, I'm a very skilled stalker," Wade replied with a smirk. "By the way, did I tell you? When I showed up to sign up with the vice-principal, she suddenly became super helpful and smiley when I told her who my new legal guardians were. Is everyone in this place in love with your dad?"

"Yeah, but it's a lot more fun for me when I know you're there. You hadn't told me, no… but kind of, yes. Between their looks, the money, and my pops' adorable forties personality, everyone falls all over themselves trying to make them happy. I'm just glad they're treating you well, though." He grinned, sort of wanting to hold Wade's hand but unsure of how his classmates would react.

"They won't anymore when I start handing in terribly bad essays again," Wade grinned and put his hand on Peter's back, just gently cupping his shoulder blade, which was pretty uncontroversial, even among boys, as far as public touching was concerned. "Maybe I should buy some really offending shirts today, can't let them get too comfortable around me."

"Come on, you aren't that bad at English. Maybe I could help you sometime," Peter suggested. He leaned into the other boy's touch, smiling over at him. "Don't worry, though. You'll be back to your reputation of 'barely tolerable' in no time."

"Gotta keep them on their toes," Wade agreed, holding open the entrance door for him. "You'd want to be my tutor? You know better than anybody else how little patience I have for this stuff."

"Yes, I do know how much you hate it. I also know some, uh.. motivational techniques, I guess, to provide some incentive for you to do what needs done," he answered with a not-entirely-innocent smirk.Peter stepped through, starting to head toward the subway for their usual route home before he was stopped by a shout of his name. He looked over to see his fathers, both leaning against one of the Maseratis where it was parked in front of the school. "Oh.. this can't be good, they never come to pick me up."

"As lovely as that sounds, I don't want to risk popping preconditioned boners in every English class from now on," Wade replied and wanted so bad to kiss Peter, until Peter spoke again. Wade looked up to see what he was talking about and his eyebrows flew towards his hairline. He glanced at Peter. "Maybe the school called them about the paperwork?"

"That is definitely not what I was talking about," he said, feigning ignorance. "But I don't know.. there weren't any problems with it, so I don't think that's it." He frowned, and lead wade over to his parents. "Uh.. Dad? Pops? Any particular reason you're here?"

Wade blushed, embarrassed for just assuming, but Peter had looked so playful.. Still, he dropped his hand from Peter's shoulder as they approached his parents. He greeted them with a nod and a friendly smile.

"And hello to you too, my dear son," Tony grinned and pushed away from the car. "We're here to take you kids shopping. Right, honey?"

Damn. That blush might just be the cutest thing he'd ever seen."I was just teasing you," he murmured to Wade before they got to Tony and Steve. "Uh, hi, I guess. I feel like I should be worried by that."

"That's right, Tones. We thought Wade might feel more comfortable around all those people if more people he knew were there," the soldier replied with a smile.

Wade smiled, touched. "Thank you, I appreciate it," he said honestly. He hadn't had any trouble around the people at school, but then again he had been closely accompanied by Peter all the time, but if Tony and Steve would be around also it would make him feel even safer. Tony gave him a thumbs-up. "Come on," he ushered Wade and Peter towards the car, playfully flicking Peter's elbow. "And why precisely would that worry you?"

Peter shrugged, sliding into the back after Wade. "You two always find some way to embarrass me," he replied, but without any real force behind it. He placed his hand palm-up in the middle, offering it to Wade but leaving him free to decline.

Steve grinned, waving it off. "No problem, we just want you to feel at ease." He turned to open Tony's door, giving him a loving grin as he got in before heading over to his own side to get in. "Everyone buckled?"

Wade smiled gratefully at him and slid his hand into Peter's. "I'm buckled," he confirmed for Steve so he could start the car. Tony turned to look at the two of them. "Anywhere in particular you were planning to go?"

Steve nodded in acknowledgment, starting the car and heading off toward the shopping district.

"I wasn't really sure," Peter replied, giving Wade's hand a gentle squeeze. "I had thought of the mall in the first place, but I don't know if that'll be low-key enough. Wade, d'you think you'd be okay with that many people?"

Wade shrugged. As long as he wasn't alone and nobody got overly touchy with him he thought he'd be okay. "Um, yeah, probably," he replied and Tony nodded. "Then it's settled, we're going to the mall. As soon as you start feeling uncomfortable though, kiddo, you just say and we're out of there."

"Yeah, just let us know if anything starts to bother you," Steve agreed with a bright grin.

"Fine by me. We should park by the south entrance, if we can; most of the stores by the east entrance are for women," Peter informed them.

"Let's not be hasty here. We should at least ask Wade if he'd like some women's clothes," Tony grinned and smirked back at him through the rearview mirror. Wade snorted softly. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I don't really have the figure," he said.

"Oh come on," Peter protested playfully. "You do too have it, you could so pull of a nice sequined gown," he said, barely holding back laughter. Steve chuckled as well, just shaking his head at his boys and their antics.

"Wouldn't you like to see that?" Wade grinned. "Sequined though? I don't know, a little flashy." Tony snuck his hand onto Steve's thigh with a smile. "I bet you would look lovely too, dear." He could almost see it, Steve with his soft blond hair and gentle smile. Beautiful.

"Oh, I would just love to see that. And Wade, you could totally pull off sequins." That image sent Peter into laughter, but he did have the courtesy to hide it behind his hand.

Steve chuckled, looking over at Tony for a brief moment. "I doubt it. Can you image my shoulder to waist ratio in a dress? I'd look all broad. And anything that would fit my waist would be too tight for my shoulders, and vice versa."

Wade grinned at him and smacked his arm. "Hey," he complained. "We could have something custom made?" Tony suggested with an eyebrow-waggle.

Peter shrugged. "That was a compliment, Wade-o. No need to be abusive," he teased. Steve laughed, shaking his head. "If you really want to, sure, but it's not exactly something I'm interested in."

Wade turned on the puppy-eyes. Well as much as he could, because clearly it was Peter's strength more than his. "I'm sorry," he said and barely hid a grin.

Tony shrugged. "I don't really want to. It was just a thought. I still think you'd look cute though, but then again you'd look good in a potato bag."

Peter smiled fondly over at Wade, squeezing his hand. "S'fine, I know you don't mean it. And though I may not be yet, I'll eventually find a way to immunize myself against those eyes," he warned playfully.

Steve lowered his voice, smirking over at Tony. "How do I look in _nothing_?"

"Oh please. Says the one with the eyes that could make supervillains put down their weapons and turn into your personal lapdogs," Wade said. "Don't think I don't know it when you do it, I'm just too weak to resist."

Tony tightened his hand over Steve's thigh. "To die for. In fact, that's my favorite look on you," he said in a sultry voice.

"Hey, I know what I've got and I know how to use it. Can't fault me for that." Peter laughed, smirking.

Steve covered Tony's hand with his own, squeezing softly and biting his lip as Tony's tone sent shivers through him. "Good. Tones.. we might just be insatiable, and I can't decide if that's bad or not."

"Only use your powers for good," Wade said and smiled over at him. It had taken him a while to grasp that concept, and see where it got him. "And occasionally when I forgot to do my homework, please."

"Definitely good," Tony decided and leaned over, straining half out of his seat to touch his lips to Steve's cheek. "Love you."

"I can do that, as long as my definition of 'good' will stand. And I can definitely puppy-dog-eye-nag you into doing your homework.

He smiled brightly, cheeks flushing a bit with warmth. "Love you too, dollface."

Wade groaned. "Fine, since you will be tutoring me anyway," he said and dropped his head against the head rest. "Thank god he didn't care much about grades, or his weeks of absence would be even more of a nightmare.

Tony fell back into his seat with a contend smile. He pointed out the window. "There's a parking spot over there."

"I really don't think you need much help. I think all you really need is a couple pointers," he replied sincerely.

Steve nodded, taking a moment to find where Tony was indicating but seeing it eventually. "Ah, gotcha." He pulled into it deftly, making sure all the windows were shut before he shut the car off.

"And some motivation," Wade added and opened his door. Tony got some sunglasses and a baseball hat out of the glove compartment. Out of the four of them, he was the most likely to get recognized, but the glasses and hat were just extra precautions. Most people didn't notice him when he was just another guy in jeans and a sweater. "You want one?" he asked Steve and held up another hat. Camera phones really were a bitch sometimes.

Peter nodded, letting go of his hand long enough to unbuckle and get out.

Steve nodded, holding his hand out. "Yes, please."

Wade slid out of his seat, joining Peter on his side of the car. He gave him a smile. If he was honest, he was kind of excited to go shopping, to try on clothes and make fun of the ugly stuff the stores were trying to sell with Peter.

Tony held out the cap, ha cap, but pulled it back in the last moment. "For a kiss," he said with a tiny smirk.

Peter smiled back, glad to see that his boyfriend was beginning to return to his former self somewhat. He had to admit, he had certainly missed the easy, teasing touches, and the openness. He definitely wouldn't, however, miss this broken facsimile of Wade once he got better.

"Anything in particular you're interested in?" he asked, once he realized he'd been staring for a moment.

"I dunno," Steve said, feigning indecision. "Well, I think I might be able to pay the price," he 'decided'. Steve leaned in, holding the side of Tony's face gently as he gave him a short, sweet kiss. "Will that suffice, Mister Stark-Rogers?"

"Anything that hasn't got sequins," Wade replied, looking into the car to see what Tony and Steve were doing - they were busy flirting, not that he was surprised. "But seriously, some basics. Jeans, shirts, a sweater would be nice. Shoes not urgent, but would be nice as well." He lowered his voice. "Uh, and you know, socks and underwear and that stuff."

"That was more than sufficient, Mister Stark-Rogers. Very nice. Outstanding even. How did I get you to agree to be with me again?" Tony replied, grinning happily.

"No sequins, promise." He chuckled at Wade's shyness, grinning. "We can hit Victoria's secret, get you some nice, lacy underwear. Tell me, do you like thongs or no?"

"Glad to know I'm doing satisfactory work, sir." He smirked, love and laughter in his eyes. "Could be 'cause you're you."

Wade shook his head. "Looks interesting, but also a little uncomfortable, don't you think?" he replied with a grin. "I don't mind stopping at Victoria's Secret if you need anything though."

"I'm a very lucky man then," Tony said, handed Steve his hat and unbuckled to get out of the car. "How long are you kids going to be? I'm falling asleep here," he said to Peter and Wade, as if he had been waiting for them.

"I think I'm a bit luckier than you, though." He pulled the hat over his head, getting out and shutting the door behind him with a small, fond smile at Tony's dorkiness.

"I think I'm good," he said with a laugh. "Besides, this is for you." Peter looked over at his dad with the long-suffering look of a teenager with embarrassing parents, and sighed. "Dad, it's not our fault you have to molest Pops in the car every time we go anywhere."

"I don't molest your father _everytime_ we're in the car," Tony protested, but smirked when he remembered that he and Steve had taken 'molestation in the car' to another level just the day before. "I have some self control." Wade chuckled at their antics and shot Peter a dubious look.

"For starters, yes, you are nearly always touching him. Secondly, there is not a single part of me that wants to continue this conversation," he said with a shudder.

Steve chuckled, giving Tony a knowing, slightly lusty look. "C'mon, boys, leave him and his lack of self control alone and let's go inside."

"So I touch him, that doesn't count as molesting," Tony said and started off in direction of the entrance to the mall. "Or did you feel molested, honey?"

"I feel fine, Tones." He smiled, moving forward to take his husband's hand. "Not my fault if our boys are offended by two consenting adults doing perfectly legal things," he said with a shrug.

Peter groaned, turning to hide his face in Wade's shoulder. "Make it stoooop, Wade, it's just too mushy!"

Tony entwined their fingers with a smug grin at the boys and swung their hands lightly in between them. "Anything you want to shop for, Steve?"

Wade put a protective arm around his shoulders and made a comforting noise. "I can molest you a little if that'd make you feel better?" he joked softly, before tensing slightly when he remembered Steve had enhanced hearing. "Uh, kidding, I'm kidding."

"I'm fine just shopping for Wade. Anything you might need?" Steve heard Wade's little comment, but didn't react to it for his sake. He wanted the teen to feel at home, at ease with them, not watching his words and walking on eggshells.

Peter laughed, shaking his head. "Maybe later," he whispered. "If you want to, that is." Honestly, Peter couldn't' decide if he was joking or not. He actually rather liked the thought, but after their little incident last time, he didn't want to take things too far too fast.

"You know I can never resist some Captain America merchandise. Even though you never let me wear my Captain America shirts in public," Tony replied with a grin and looked over at Wade. "I bought one just recently that looks like it's got the shield strapped to the back. It's awesome. Although my favorites are the ones with your face on them." Wade smiled and nodded. "Cool," he said, just to indulge Tony. No wonder Tony wasn't allowed leave the house with them. "Must me weird though, seeing your face on a shirt?" he prompted Steve and tightened his arm around Peter's shoulders as a silent response.

"I just don't want us to get mobbed by paparazzi, that's all," he replied sheepishly, shrugging. "I love seeing you with anything of mine, I promise. I mean yeah, Wade, it's a bit odd, but I like seeing him that way. It's like he's proud of being with me or something, and seeing that feels nice."

Wade smiled and caught Peter's eye for a nod; Peter's parent's really were the mushiest couple on the planet. "Thank you, honey," Tony said with a voice that proved Wade's opinion right all over again and hooked his other hand over Steve's elbow, bringing them closer.

Steve smiled down at him, dotting a quick kiss in his hair before they went inside. "Just the truth, doll."

Peter returned Wade's look, glad he was, for once, not left alone with them and their mushiness. "So, where would you like to go first?"

Wade shrugged and looked around a little helplessly. He usually just bought whatever caught his eye if he needed anything. He spotted a H&M close to the entrance. "There?" he suggested, pointing at it. "I think they have stuff for guys." Tony made an offended noise. "You're going to shop at _H &M_?" he asked and shuddered.

"Yeah, they do." Peter nodded at Wade assuringly before looking at his father quizzically. "What's wrong with H&M? I shop there."

"Don't remind me," Tony said and Wade let out a laugh. For all his life Tony had only ever gotten clothes of the finest quality and cheap, mass-produced clothes gave him hives just thinking of the chemicals that had been used to make them. "What you teenagers think is fashionable nowadays.." He shook his head.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Would you rather pay for them to get all of their clothes custom-made?"

Peter nodded in agreement. "I mean really, Dad, with how often we go through them it makes more sense to buy this stuff."

Tony shrugged. "Just saying. Ask Bruce to tell you some horror stories about the chemicals they use," he said but lead the way to the store. "Let's see if I can find a nice dress for you, dear."

Steve laughed, shaking his head. "Fine, but only if I get to pick one out for you as well."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Dad, seriously. I. Do. Not. Care. Neither does Wade."

Tony held his hands up in surrender. "Fine. Buy whatever you want. I won't stop you. I'm just stating an opinion." Wade glanced at Peter, insecure. "Should we just shop somewhere else?" he asked quietly. After all it was Tony who would be paying for his stuff.

He gave Wade a soft smile, shaking his head. "No, of course not. He'll make this kind of fuss as long as we're anywhere besides his personal tailor. He's just doing it to be a snot, don't worry about it," he reassured, reaching up to brush a stray hair out of the other boy's face.

"If you're sure," Wade said, leaning slightly into the fleeting touch of Peter's hand. He smiled a shy, happy smile at him. "Should I buy some Avengers shirts, now that I live with you guys?" he asked with a grin, while Tony herded them all towards the H&M.

"'Course I am, I mean, have you met him?" Peter laughed, smiling back at him. "You can if you want, but you don't have to. Dad would probably tease you, though not in a mean way, Pops would blush, and I think it'd be weird to go around wearing the shirt of someone you're not with, like the other four. However, if you like it, far be it from me to stop you."

"I think I'd rather not, then," Wade decided and picked up a mesh shirt that was displayed right inside. He held it up in front of him and wriggled his hips. "How about this though?" he asked, grinning widely. Tony curiously thumbed through the lines of clothes next to them. "Hey, this stuff doesn't look so bad," he said to Steve.

Peter laughed. "Sure, go right ahead. Better get more than one color if you like it."

Steve nodded, reaching forward to run it through his fingers. "Yeah, and it's pretty soft. Looks fairly well-constructed, too."

Wade pulled a face and put the shirt back where he had taken it from. "I don't know.. I don't really want to show my nipples all the time. What if I get cold?" he whined, with a barely suppressed grin.

Tony leaned his shoulder against Steve's and looked up at him. "You want one?"

Peter laughed harder, barely trying to stifle it with a hand over his mouth. "Don't worry, I'll keep you warm."

Steve shrugged, wrapping his arm around Tony's shoulder. "I don't think I need any more shirts, really."

"You really want to spend your time guarding my nipples from the cold? Why, I must say, I'm flattered," Wade said and picked out another shirt, this time see-through.

"I know you don't _need_ any. But if you see one you like it wouldn't hurt to have a spare, right?" Tony smiled. "You know what we should buy though? Beach wear. Swim trunks and stuff like that."

"Stop, stop, I can barely breathe!" he said through his laughter.

"I guess so, if you think I should have it. You're right, though; I'm pretty sure mine from last year are worn out, Peter probably grew out of his, and I doubt Wade has any."

Wade laughed with him and put the shirt back down. "No? Okay. How about this one, seriously?" He held up a nice shirt with some kind of comic print on it.

"I like that one, you should definitely get it." Peter looked around a bit more, finding another one that was bright blue with a graphic print.

Steve chuckled, nodding. "You could help, too," he replied with a smirk.

Wade hung the shirt over his arm to take with him while they continued looking around. "Sure, hand it over," Wade said and held his hand out for the blue shirt to check the size. He paused. "I don't even know what size I should buy. I did lose quite a lot of weight."

Tony guided Steve behind a row of mannequins to steal a kiss. "Did you forget how to dress yourself in your old age?" he teased softly.

"I think a medium would it you, even when you gain the weight back." He paused, holding one up to Wade's shoulders. "Yeah, that should work."

Steve thumbed his husband's cheek softly, smiling over at him. "Maybe. I might need a refresher course."

Wade's mind wandered for a moment, to the distant possibility of 'if he got gained the weight back' instead of 'when'. He could just lean back and let Tony handle his expenses, no more mercenary work. He shook his head. Even if the Stark-Rogers were that generous, Wade wanted to be able to protect Peter and for that he needed his strength back. "Maybe I'll try and get fat," he said and grinned.

"You're lucky to be married to an expert in the putting-on and taking-off of clothes. I could put a few extra classes in my schedule," Tony replied.

Peter laughed, nodding. "I'll feed you all the burgers and fries you can handle, Wilson."

"I'm so glad I've got someone with such knowledge in my presence." Steve smirked.

"I think I'll start hitting the gym again tonight. That's not a no to burgers and fries though," Wade said and pushed a pair of pants into Peter's hands. "What about these?" he asked.

Tony smiled at him and brushed a hand over Steve's ass when he walked past him. "As you should be. Let's get your butt into some swim trunks. Unless you would like a bikini?"

"I could go with you, if you want. Maybe you could teach me some stuff and I could stop being such a string bean." He paused, looking them over. "I like them, but they'd look better on you in black. Do they have the black in your size?"

Steve would have gasped, had he been any less used to Tony and his mannerisms. As it were, he just gave Tony a fondly exasperated smile. "No, I think trunks will suffice."

"I'd be cool if you came with. And you're not a string bean. You have muscle, you're just not very bulky." Wade checked if they had the pants in his size. They didn't. "Hm. Think I could squeeze into a size smaller? Probably not." He held them up in front of himself critically. He pulled a size larger out of the stack. "Baggy is still cool, right?"

"A-and I found them," Tony said, pointing out the swim wear section. "Ooh, look at that!" he grinned and tossed some particularly obnoxiously colored, Hulk-themed trunks at him. "What even is this? Bruce does not wear purple pants _all_ the time."

"What if I wanted to be bulky?" Peter watched as he held them up, shaking his head. "Baggy's fine for now 'cause you'll grow into it.. so yeah, get that size."

The soldier laughed, shaking his head. "No. The contrast does look nice, though. The purple really brings out his.. green."

"Well, if you really want to be bulky, I guess I'll help you put on some weight and train with you," Wade said, although he'd be a little sad to see Peter's lean figure go. He hooked the pants over his arm along with the other clothes he had picked out so far.

"His green," Tony huffed and laughed, while pulling several pairs of trunks from the rack. "I like these. What do you think?"

"I don't know that I want to, really. I just don't want to feel so weak all the time, that's all." He shrugged, sending Wade a soft smile. "Want to find some shoes next?"

"I like the blue ones, but yellow makes me look pale. Are there any red in there?"

"Why do you feel weak?" Wade asked seriously while they slid past the other customers towards a shoe display. He hunched his shoulders and scowled uncomfortably when someone ran into him. "You're plenty fit, you're stronger than most civilians, probably."

"Blue and red, honey? Want some white ones as well?" teased, but obediently handed his husband a bright red pair.

He looked over at Wade with concern when he was run into, but once it passed his concern eased. "I, uh.." He shrugged. "It's probably stupid. No, it _is_ stupid."

"Nah, white makes me look too tan," he said with a grin. "I could go for some black, though."

Wade stopped walking and gently reached for Peter's elbow. "I'm sure it's not stupid," he said. "You can tell me. Or not. Whatever you feel like really."

Tony fished out some dark blue ones, before he found a black pair. "There it is. You know what I like about white trunks? They turn kind of see-through." He grinned cheekily at his husband.

Peter looked back at him shyly. "I just figure if I'm not so weak I'd feel like I'd be able to protect you better, that's all. Like I said, not important."

Steve gave him a fondly admonishing look. "Were we going alone, I'd buy nothing but white, and tell you to do the same. However, that's not the case. Want to help me try them on?"

Wade just blinked for a moment, then broke out in a tiny, happy smile. Peter being protective of him just did things to his poor heart. "Nobody protects me better than you," he said softly and squeezed Peter's elbow. "You don't need muscle for that."

"Honey, it's as if you read my mind," Tony affirmed playfully and reached for Steve's hand to tug him towards the changing rooms. "Time for a lesson?" he asked.

"You're probably right," he answered, really wishing he could pull Wade aside and kiss him. However, they were in public, so that would have to wait.

He laughed, following after Tony and snagging the door to the dressing room shut behind him before he pushed Tony up against the wall into a kiss. "Been wantin' to do that for a while now."

Wade looked around sheepishly. Hugging in public should be okay, right? A short hug? "Peter, just a sec," he said before pulling him in against his chest and closing an arm around his back. He briefly closed his eyes, any anxiety about the strangers around him momentarily forgotten, and breathed deeply.

"I want to do that all the time with you," Tony whispered and slid a hand under Steve's shirt to absently stroke his thumb over Steve's lower back. He shoved the pile of clothes they had acquired out of the way and they landed on a heap on the floor, tangled around their feet.

Peter was a bit confused for a moment but once he got with the program he hugged Wade back tight, humming absently as his arms wrapped around Wade's waist.

Steve leaned further into Tony, sliding his hands up Tony's torso teasingly. When his husband shoved the clothes aside he let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "I do actually need to try those on, though."

Wade enjoyed the hug for a moment, then he let Peter go. "Thanks. That helped already," he said and smiled. "Shoes?"

"First, you have to undress in order to try anything on," Tony retorted with a smirk and hooked his index fingers into Steve's beltloops. "Don't worry, I got this," he said and moved his hands around to open Steve's belt.

"Yeah, shoes next," he agreed. "Any style in particular that you're interested in?"

"Oh, well then I'm glad I've got you to help me along," he said with a laugh, moving his hips so that his jeans could slide off. "I'll never get tired of you undressing me, dollface." He murmured quietly into Tony's ear, smirking.

"Some sneakers, I guess, or a pair of boots. Something I can wear for training would be nice too." He pulled a bit of a face. H&M didn't really have that great a selection of shoes, but they were really inexpensive, and he wanted to spend only as much money as he really needed. Steve and Tony had done a lot for him already.

"Me neither," Tony said with a chuckle and kissed his husband as he pushed his pants off his hips, brushing his knuckles against his hipbones. "Shirt too?" he asked softly.

"We can do that. And maybe we could hit Finish Line when we're done here for training clothes, too, since you won't want to work out in your other clothes."

"Might as well get the full view," he decided, feigning nonchalance.

Wade sighed. "I should really start looking for a job to pay for all this stuff," he said. Even though he was glad about the generosity, it made him uncomfortably accepting other people's money. Maybe he could pick up the Deadpool mask again in a few weeks. The thought of mercenary work made him shudder in distaste. "But yeah. Maybe somewhere else for shoes too. These are.." He held up a truly hideous pair with an apologetic shrug.

"We did bring a shirt for you to try on too," Tony agreed and picked up the seam of Steve's shirt to push it up his chest.

"I won't allow it, and neither will my fathers," he said simply. "You're family, and family takes care of their own." He laughed, nodding. "Yeah, H&M is great for clothes.. not so much for shoes. Oh, or maybe we could get you some of those customizable Nikes in your favorite colors, that'd be cool."

Steve looked down at Tony lustfully, raising his arms once they had reached that point.

Wade raised an eyebrow and sighed. "If you're sure. Customizable though? Just regular is fine, I think." He picked a plastic bag with several pairs of boxershorts from a shelf and a pack of socks. He had a big pile of clothes hanging from his arm now, and it was getting kind of heavy. "I think I'm good to try some stuff on now, my arm's about to fall off."

Tony tugged the shirt over his head, giggling when it caught on his nose for a second. "This, this is a very good look on you. You should definitely buy that," he grinned, running a hand over Steve's bare chest.

"Yeah, maybe, but _anyone_ can buy the regular ones, and the custom ones are cooler and not really that expensive. I've bought non-custom more expensive than those, actually." He nodded, taking some of it out of his hands helpfully. "Here, you go try on the first half and I'll wait outside with the second. When you're done we can swap, and then get my dads to pay after that.

Steve laughed, arching up into Tony's touch a bit. "I may have to, if it pleases his highness," he said playfully.

"Really? Okay then. What colors do you think I should get?" he asked before disappearing into a dressing room. He folded the clothes over the tiny chair in the corner and changed into one of the shirts. "How's this?" he asked, opening the door so Peter could have a look.

"His highness? Oh, I like that," Tony replied and stole a kiss before picking up a pair of trunks. "Let me help you with these."

"Hm.. probably red or orange with black, maybe some white in there too," he said over the stall door. "Oh, I like that. Put that in the 'yes' pile," he said with a grin. Really, this was great for both of them. Wade got new clothes, and Peter got to shamelessly check him out. Win-win.

"Sounds good." He tugged them on carefully, pulling them over his ass slowly so Tony could get his view. "How do these look, babe?"

"Okay," Wade said, smiling and becoming a little self-conscious under Peter's gaze. "I'll show you when I've put on the next one." He disappeared back into the stall, tugging the shirt over his head and throwing it over the door. "Catch. You're the yes-pile for now."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Tony swore softly. "Look at you, baby. Thank god we have private beach, I wouldn't allow you anywhere near other people in those." Actually, they were probably a size or so too small, but who cared when they made his husband look this good? Not that he needed the extra boost, but still.

Peter laughed as the shirt hit him in the face. "You could've warned me, dork."

He preened a little as he basked in the attention, smirking and flexing a bit. "What, see something you like?"

Wade laughed happily. "Didn't I say catch?" he asked as he stepped out of the stall in another shirt. "Does this fit weird?" He tugged on the fabric, trying to pull it into a decent shape.

The hunger in Tony's eyes softened momentarily. "I see something that I love," he said, right before pinching Steve's ass through the too tight trunks.

He looked at it closely for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, kind of. It's too wide, but not long enough."

Steve was about to lean in for a kiss when Tony pinched him, and it turned into a half-indignant smack to his husband's shoulder. "You're lucky I love you too, dork.. do you think I need a size up? I don't want to be too indecent."

Wade sighed. "That's a 'no' then," he decided. Before he disappeared back into the dressing room, he reached out to fix an unruly tuft of Peter's hair that might have been messed up by his thrown shirt.

Tony laughed and loosely wrapped his fingers around Steve's wrist. "Maybe even two. This one is like a second skin. Not that _I_ mind."

Peter smiled at him, leaning into his touch a bit. "Get back in there, you. You've got a ton to try on."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. Would you mind grabbing me those sizes, doll?"

"Yes, sir," Wade said and gave a salute, but obediently went to try on another shirt. "I like this one," he declared when he stepped outside.

Tony groaned. "The things I do for you," he said, and leaned up for a kiss. "Be right back," he said and grinned to himself as he slipped out of the dressing room. And promptly ran into Peter.

 


	25. Chapter 25

The boy laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, me too," he said sincerely. "That color looks great against your skin ton- Dad? What are you doing over here? Are we going to get kicked out because you and dad were being 'indecent again?"

Wade was pleased that Peter approved of the shirt, but pulled a face when Tony came out of another dressing room. "Were you two in there  _together_ ? This is a shopping center, ew!"

Tony let out a tense laugh, caught. "Haha, no. I mean, yes. Steve is in there, but there was no indecency happening, just innocent trying on of clothes. Completely decent." He clapped his son on the shoulder. "What are you boys up to?"

Peter groaned. "If you get us kicked out before Wade tries all of his clothes on, I might actually hurt you." He sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Wade's figuring out what fits and what looks good, and I'm helping.  _Outside_ of the dressing room, might I add."

"Relax, we're not going to get kicked out," Tony said. "Steve sent me out anyway." To get more clothes, he added mentally, but Peter didn't have to know that. "I'll leave you to it then," he said and made his way out into the store again.

Wade shook his head. "Your parents, seriously." He took his shirt off once he was back inside and let it fly over the door. "Did you get that, human yes-pile?"

"Yeah, I got that, and not in my face this time," he laughed. "You should try that bright blue one next, I liked that one."

"Okay," Wade agreed and fished around for the requested shirt. When he had it on, he presented it to Peter. "What do you think?"

Tony, when he had found the two sizes Steve had asked him to get, didn't even try to sneak past the boys. "Nice," he commented on Wade's shirt, and rested his hand on Peter's shoulder for a second when he walked by. Before either could stop him, he slipped back into Steve's stall.

"Yeah, I like that." He shot his dad a look, then turned back to Wade. "You should wear that with those dark jeans."

Steve sent him a sheepish grin before whispering. "D'you think they heard us?"

Wade smiled. "I can try them on next so we can see them together," he said. He was thoroughly enjoying Peter choosing his clothes with him.

Tony shook his head. "I don't think so. But Peter threatened physical harm if we get caught doing anything indecent." He grinned mischievously. "I brought your trunks."

"Good idea. And after that, keep the jeans on but then put the red shirt on, and the white after that. The dark of the jeans should contrast well with those."

Steve blushed. "That was  _one_ time. One. And we only got banned for a month." He took the trunks from Tony, removing the ones he was wearing before changing into those. "Oh, yeah, these fit way better. Thoughts?"

Wade did just so, starting with the red one. He had the blue shirt in hand when he exited the stall again. "This is a yes?" he asked Peter and gave him the blue shirt.

Tony chuckled. "I know, and we were barely being indecent at all. I mean, two more minutes and that shop assistant could have walked into so much worse." Tony smoothed a hand over the trunks and pulled a face. "I can hardly see the outline of your butt," he whined. "Try one size smaller."

"Definitely, that one looks great!" He took the shirt, adding it to the pile the were going to get. "Now the white.. maybe that one button-up afterward?"

"Right? Really, we could have gotten in a lot more trouble." He turned, looking down at his backside. "I dunno, Tones.. how bout I get both, and wear these when we're with the kids and the others when it's just you and me?"

"I'm going to look so fashionable in school tomorrow," Wade called while he was putting on the white shirt. "Catch this," he warned Peter before the red one came flying over the stall door.

"When it's just you and me, sweetheart, you don't have to wear anything at all, let along pants," Tony said and leaned in for a gentle kiss. "I think I'll try on the small ones, if you don't mind."

He caught it, laughing. "You'd look great anyway, would I let you look anything less?"

Steve kissed him back sweetly, brushing a hand through Tony's hair. "Hang on, let me find them… ah, here they are. Hurry up, I want to ogle you as long as I can."

Wade emerged with the white shirt on and smiled. "You just enjoy playing dress-up with me, don't you," he grinned.

"Hurry up taking off my pants, or putting the trunks on?" He asked, popping the button of his jeans open and sliding them over his ass.

"Maybe a bit," he admitted. "Free pass to check you out, and you get the stuff you need. What would I not be happy with?" He paused, looking him over with the white shirt. "I like that, that's a yes."

"… Pants off quickly, trunks on slowly," he said with a smirk as he watched his husband. "Ooh, no underwear, nice touch."

"It's okay," Wade said and smiled almost shyly. "I like it when you check me out." He ducked back into the stall to change into another pair

of jeans and the button-up. He held out the white shirt to be put on the yes-pile. "How do you like the pants?" he asked Peter, turning in front of the mirror.

"You think I can wear underwear under these pants? They barely close as it is," Tony grinned and shook his legs to wriggle out of the garment.

"Then I'll have to be sure to do it more," he smirked, setting that shirt with the rest. "I like the pants a lot. Not a huge fan of the shirt, but that's more 'cause you don't look all that comfortable in it."

"Hm, I guess not.. but I'd really rather be removing them myself."

Wade tugged at the shirt. "I guess I'm not really a button-up kind of guy?" he said with a shrug. "I mean, I feel ridiculous in these things."

Tony grinned. "What's stopping you?" he asked his husband and ceased all effort to get rid of his pants. They hung awkwardly around his thighs.

"Maybe not. It does look nice, but it doesn't really say 'Wade' to me like the rest have. I think we should get at least one, just so you have something if you need to look formal, but it should be black, not white."

Steve laughed, taking over the effort himself. "You're a dork, y'know that? A gorgeous dork, but a dork nonetheless."

"Yeah, okay," Wade agreed. "Although the day I look formal has yet to come." He grinned and went back in the stall to change again. "Just a second, now that I'm already taking my pants off, I wanna check if the boxers are alright."

"You married this dork," Tony replied, stepping out of the jeans. He looked down at Steve. "Want to help me into the trunks too, honey?"

"Maybe, but you never know when you'll need it. My parents tend to do spontaneous things that require that, so.. yeah." He paused as Wade spoke, and a smirk slid over his face. "I could help with that if you like," he joked,

"I did, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Um.. yeah, though I detest the idea of putting clothes on rather than taking them off."

Wade grinned and stuck his head out the door. "I guess I could use a second opinion?" he said, half joking, because he wasn't sure if Peter had been serious about helping with the boxers.

Tony laughed quietly. "As appealing as I find that thought, we're still clothes shopping with the kids  _and_ in a dressing room, honey," he said, fondness shining through his voice. "Unless you're planning to be really indecent in public, which by the way I could definitely be persuaded to, I'm going to have to put on some pants."

Peter couldn't tell if Wade was joking or not, but he figured that if the boy was comfortable enough to suggest it then it wouldn't hurt to follow up. "Sure.. I mean.. if you're okay with that," he said, just to make sure.

Steve blushed but shook his head. "I don't want to get banned from here, the boys seem to like it. We can be indecent when we get home," the soldier promised.

Wade bit his lip, looking around carefully. "Okay, quick, get in here," he said and held the door open a little more, so Peter could slip in, since Wade had just pulled on one of the boxers from the bag over his own ones and didn't exactly want to put on a show for the rest of the store.

"I will hold you to that," Tony said and picked up a foot to step into the trunks.

Peter scampered in quickly, shutting the door softly behind himself. He then tried not to stare, but really, could you blame him? With Wade standing there looking all lean, wiry, and strong?

Steve chuckled, helping him carefully. "You say that like I wouldn't keep my word."

Tony put his hand on Steve's head and brushed his fingers through his hair. "I know you will," he said.

"I think you're freakin gorgeous, like I always do. As for the boxers, though, those look like a nice fit."

Steve leaned into his touch and smiled up at him, pressing a kiss to the engineer's hip. "Love you."

Wade blushed and ducked his head. "Yeah, they feel pretty comfy," he agreed. He grinned mischievously. "Should I just put the on the yes-pile now?"

"Love you too, honey," Tony said and smiled. "Are you going to pull up my pants?"

Peter went from an internal 'awww' at Wade's blush to shocked at his forwardness. "Um.. um.. um.." he stammered, having lost the ability to find actual words and string them into actual sentences.

"….. Maybe not," he teased with a soft laugh, but then did as asked. "There you are.. mm, I can't wait 'til we get home."

"Oh," Wade said, discouraged and frankly embarrassed for his dumb comment. He turned to fiddle with the hangers next to him. "Sorry, stupid joke, I know. I'm wearing my own boxers underneath anyway, so no worries."

"Me too," Tony hummed and tugged on Steve's ear. "Come back up here and tell me if I should get these trunks."

"It wasn't stupid," he said softly, moving to hug Wade from behind. "It just startled me, and not in a bad way either. That's probably the last thing I'd have expected you to say, and besides, I wouldn't want anyone else seeing you like that." He rested his head on Wade's shoulder, hugging him tighter for a brief moment. "I'm sorry."

Steve smirked, nodding. "You should always get anything that makes your ass look that good."

"What for? You didn't do anything," Wade replied softly, hands hanging loosely in the air. He dropped them, fitting them over Peter's hands.

"Are you sure you can bear me wearing the same kind of swim trunks on our vacation? We'll be those kind of disgustingly in love people that even dress to match," Tony grinned.

"No, but my reaction wasn't exactly easy to interpret and it embarrassed you. Just to clarify, that wasn't me thinking it was dumb- it's the same kind of reaction I get when you walk out of the bathroom in just a towel. The kind where all thought leaves my head 'cause 'holy hell, is he really that hot or am I just dreaming? No wait, he really is that hot.'" He paused, thinking over his words for a moment. "Okay, so that sounded better in my head, but you get what I mean."

"Yeah, 'course I can. It'll only be us there, and the only people that will tease us are Pete and Wade… who we can turn right back around and tease for being so cute themselves. Besides," he said, pressing a kiss to Tony's cheek. "I am disgustingly in love with you."

Wade chuckled softly. "No, that sounded pretty good," he disagreed. "I just thought that was too forward or something. I was just making a joke." He plucked Peter's hands from his naked chest and turned around.

"And I with you," Tony grinned and turned his head to catch his husband's lips. "I'll get these then. But I'll have to take them off again first."

"No, no, be as forward as you want," he said with a smile. "Is it too forward of me to want to kiss you right now?" He looked up at Wade, a flirty smirk on his face. "'Cause I really want to kiss you right now."

".. I want to see, but I almost don't know if I can handle myself.. do it quickly, so we can get home and have awesome sex like the disgustingly in love couple we are."

Wade brought up his hand and brushed the tips of his fingers through the hair above Peter's ear. "Not too forward at all," he whispered and leaned towards him.

Tony almost giggled. "You wanna ditch the kids?"

Peter both leaned into his touch and leaned in to kiss him, giving a happy little hum as he did.

"No, we shouldn't, but I bet they're at least close to done."

Wade wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes, kissing him gently. He pulled them close, still very mindful that he was only in his boxers.

"Let's hope," Tony said and started on getting back into his own pants, knocking his elbow into Steve's side because there was so little space. "Sorry, honey."

Peter laid one hand on Wade's chest, and the other on his cheek, as if he'd float away if he didn't. He wanted to move closer, but he didn't want to make things too weird.

Steve let out a little 'oof' at the hit, but chuckled afterward. "S'fine, dear.

Wade pressed a last lingering kiss to Peter's lips before pulling away. "I should get dressed before this gets very awkward in a moment," he said and gave Peter a small grin.

Tony, wearing his own pants again, tightened his belt. "Now how do we get out of here inconspicuously?" he said with a grin.

Peter had to shake himself out of the daze Wade had put him in, but grinned back once he did. "Um. Yeah, uh, wouldn't want my dads finding us like this. In fact, I'd probably better wait outside so my dads don't think we were doing anything.

"You should go out now, find the boys, and I'll follow in a few moments?"

Wade leaned forward and kissed him chastely. "Okay," he agreed.

"I will do that," Tony said, reaching up to pull Steve down for a quick peck. "Love you."

Peter blushed, but didn't duck his head as he normally would've. "Gosh, you're freakin' adorable. It's not fair, y'know." He sighed, going over to the door. "I'll be right outside, my dads should be here any minute." With that, he opened the door and stepped into the little hallway.

Steve grinned against his lips, nudging him with an eskimo kiss back. "Love you too, doll."

Wade smiled after him, and when the door slid closed again he started working on getting into his own clothes again, as well as getting the stuff he tried on back on its hangers.

Tony squeezed Steve's arm gently before ducking out of the room, just in time to see Peter close the door of Wade's stall. "Oh?" he let out, eyebrows shooting up and a smile stretching his lips. "Look at that. Hey, Pete."

Peter smirked back at him. "Don't even try to tease me, I know you were just in there with Pops. Not gonna work."

Tony shrugged. "I didn't say anything," he said, walking over to his son and clasping a hand over his shoulder. "Are you boys almost done? I feel like heading home soon." He gave his son a meaningful look.

"Maybe not out loud." At his last comment, Peter pulled a bit of a face. "Yeah, he should be out any second. I've never been happier that the tower's soundproof, though. Definitely don't need to hear.. whatever it is you plan to do."

Tony chuckled unapologetically. "I don't want to know what's going on in your room either," he told Peter with a smirk.

"Nothing to know," he shrugged. "Nothing's happened yet, and it probably won't for a while. My number one priority is making sure Wade's comfortable."

Tony squinted at him. "That sounds like something a responsible adult would say. Are you sure you are my son?" he asked.

"If you'd forgotten, I happen to have amazing parents that instilled certain values in me as to how to treat people I care about."

Tony's grin softened and he scrubbed a gentle hand over Peter's hair. "You're a good kid," he just said and pretended to wipe a tear out of the corner of his eye. "I'm proud."

Peter laughed, shaking his head. "And you're a dork."

Steve joined them then, giving his family a smile. "Why are we proud of Pete this time?"

Tony smiled at his husband and looped an arm around his waist. "Our son has sworn himself to sexual abstinence and complimented our parenting," he told him.

"I never said anything about abstinence, just  _waiting_ ," the teen protested awkwardly.

Steve's proud grin matched Tony's. "We raised him right, didn't we?"

Tony waved Peter off. "Now don't ruin my moment," he said with a grin and leaned up to give Steve a kiss. "Well done."

Wade exited his stall, arms full of rejected clothes. "I'm done," he announced and looked around for where Peter had put the clothes he was going to take home.

Peter welcomed the interruption, taking the pile from Wade and pointing him to the 'yes' pile. "I'll take these, you grab those."

Steve laughed, kissing Tony chastely. "Great, Wade. Sure there's nothing else you'd like?"

Wade nodded and let Peter take the clothes from him. "I have pants and shirts and even underwear," he replied to Steve's question. He glanced down at his worn through sneakers. "I guess a pair of shoes wouldn't hurt, but it's nothing urgent."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Look at them, they're two torn threads from showing your socks."

" _Dad_ ," Peter chided, right as Steve said " _Tony_ . That wasn't very nice, to point that out," he finished with a less-than-pleased look to Tony. Turning to Wade, he smiled again. "Why don't we have Tony carry the clothes you'd like, and you, Peter and I can go pick shoes out?"

"Yeah, okay," Wade agreed. "But no H&M shoes, please. They're all.." He made a gesture with his hand and pulled a face.

"I- what," Tony protested weakly as the pile of clothes was deposited in his arms. "Was I not supposed to say that?" he called after them. "Fine," he said finally and made his way to the checkout to pay.

"That's fine," Steve replied with an easy grin. "Where would you like to go instead?"

Wade turned to Peter. "What did you say about the customizable Nikes? Would we have to buy those online?" he asked him.

"Yeah, you've got to go online and order them. You get to design them and see how they'll look before you get them, which is pretty cool."

"Uhm," he started and looked up at Steve. "Can we get a pair of those then?" he asked, feeling a little guilty that they were at the mall and he wanted to order online.

"Of course, we can even get two if you like. You'll have to have Peter help you though, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about."

"Okay, yeah, sounds good," Wade replied and smiled, and pointed to a Foot Locker a few stores away from the H&M. "Over there?" he suggested.

"Good a place as any," Peter shrugged. "Can't think of any other stores that sell guys' shoes here."

"I was thinking I should get some flip flops or something for when we go to the beach," Wade said, picking through the isles and pointing shoes out to Peter for his approval.

"Sounds like a good plan. Peter, unless you have some already you should probably get some too."

Peter nodded. "I'll look once Wade's done.. Wade, I like that pair but I don't see it in your size. Do you?"

Wade smiled at him in happy surprise. "You have my shoe size memorized?" he said, the shoe carton he had in hand momentarily forgotten.

Peter shrugged, steadfastly ignoring the flush on his cheeks. "Yeah, I mean, sometimes you borrow mine but they're always a bit big but not huge so and then that one time we went out in the snow you borrowed my dad's boots so um yeah," he stammered.

Wade looked at him with what was basically hearts in his eyes. He smiled. "You really know me better than anyone else on this planet."

Not getting laughed at for his over attentiveness gave Peter the confidence to shoot him a smirk. "I'd better. I think I'd be offended if anyone else did."

Wade nudged him playfully and pulled out a carton of the shoes Peter had pointed out to him that had his size on it. "They do have them in my size. Let me try them on," he said.

I payed for the clothes. Where are you? -TS

"Sounds good." He leaned against the shelf, waiting while Wade tried them on.

In Foot Locker with the boys, over by the running shoes section. - SR

"What do you think?" Wade asked and held out his leg. He got up to look at them in the mirror and try walking a little in them. "They fit okay."

"Hey," Tony said as he joined them, hands full with two big H&M bags. "Find anything yet?"

"I like those, but I think the red and black looks better than the green and black you've got on now."

Steve took one out of his hands, nodding. "We found a pair for Wade, looks like, and I found two adorable kids who are positively smitten with each other."

Wade picked up a differently colored pair. "Red and black does look pretty cool," he admitted, already sitting down to try them on.

"Thanks, honey," Tony said, adjusting his grip on his bag and glanced at Wade and Peter shuffling around the isle. He gripped Steve's elbow gently and turned them towards a mirror. He pointed at their reflection. "Me too."

"More than pretty cool," he argued. "Those look great."

Steve blushed, turning to nuzzle against his head. "See, you're secretly romantic sometimes, even if you refuse to admit it."

"Right?" Wade agreed with a content smile and walked a few steps in the shoes. "I think I'll take these, they're good."

Tony leaned up to kiss him. "It all comes from you. You bring it out in me," he said softly.

"Good choice," he grinned. "I think they really suit you."

"I like to think you've been a romantic all along, just didn't have someone worth sharing it with," he said with grin before he kissed him back.

"Thanks," Wade replied and smiled at Peter. "You have good taste in shoes. Thanks for pointing those out to me." He sat down to put on his own shoes again. "We still need flip-flops."

"Maybe," Tony agreed with a half-smile and leaned against him. "Or maybe I'm just so much in love with you I became a romantic."

"That's true, I'd almost forgotten about those." He really, really wanted to kiss Wade, but he had a feeling his parents would be less than receptive toward that.

"I'm okay with that too," he shrugged, chuckling.

Wade pointed at one of those 'summer is coming' displays the shop had that featured a small choice of flip flops. "Let's check those out," he said to Peter and after glancing at his parents, got up to do just that. He smiled at Peter as he passed him and squeezed his hand for a moment.

"Good for you, honey, because even if you weren't you're not getting rid of me now," Tony teased. "Or, I guess you have options, but I'm a man of many resources. I'll find you."

"Sounds good.. ooh, I like those black and silver ones, what do you think?" He snagged Wade's hand with a grin, pulling him forward eagerly.

"You say that like I'd want to get rid of you. Dork. And really, if I were to do something as dumb as leaving you, I'd be begging for you to take me back before the day was out."

"Yeah," Wade said. "They're cool." He looked for one in Peter's size, one-handedly, and handed it to him. He held up a similar pair for himself. "And these?"

Tony stretched his neck to kiss his husband's cheek. "Let's just agree to not leave each other, because we're horribly codependent and wouldn't survive even a day without each other?"

"Yeah, those would suit you," he nodded.

Steve smiled warmly, nodding. "Sounds like a plan. I hope to never stop being horribly codependent on you."

Wade looked around for a moment. "Do we need anything else? You wanna buy some sneakers too?" he asked Peter, gathering the pair he had chosen as well as his and Peter's flip-flops in a pile in his arms.

"If I weren't already married to you, honey, I'd be going down on one knee to propose right now," he said and smiled, before gently nudging Steve in direction of the boys. "I think we're done here."

"Nah, I think I'm good. Do you need help carrying those?"

"Maybe that's what we could do for our next anniversary," he said thoughtfully, as they headed over to meet Peter and Wade. "We could renew our vows, and maybe this time I could propose instead of you."

Wade's smile turned embarrassed for a second. "If I'm not even paying for them, I should at least carry them," he said.

Tony looked up in surprise. "Really? I mean, that sounds great." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "We could go on another honeymoon."

"You're earning them by letting me love you," he replied with a grin. "You've more than paid for those shoes."

"Yeah, really. Where do you think we should go this time?"

Wade laughed. "That's sounds a lot like prostitution. Payment in return for love, except you're not paying me in money but sneakers."

"I'll go wherever you want with you," Tony said with a smile. "Europe, or the Caribbean, or Asia, or... wherever."

"You're worth far more than I can ever give you," he laughed.

"I chose last time, you should choose this time. I think I'd like it if we went somewhere neither of us had been, though."

Wade put the shoes down on the checkout counter and looked back at Tony and Steve with big eyes. Tony ruffled his hair and handed the shop assistant his credit card. "Nice flip flops," Tony commented with a nod and let the boys handle the bags, while he linked his arm with Steve. "Ever been to Thailand? I want to go somewhere where it's hot enough for you to walk around shirtless," Tony said with a grin. "Or we could go skiing somewhere. Make love next to an open fire. Romantic stuff."

Peter took his fair share of the bags, piling them in one hand so he could hold Wade's with the other.

Steve laughed brightly, smiling fondly at Tony. "You're a dork. I'm sure if there's somewhere you haven't been, I won't have been there either, and I'll be happy with whatever we do because I'll be doing it with you." He paused, dropping his voice to a mock whisper. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm hopelessly besotted with you."

Wade squeezed Peter's hand in his and smiled at him. "Do we need anything else?" he asked, thinking about what they had bought so far.

"You better be, after this many years of marriage," Tony smirked. "You know what? I'll have Jarvis work out an algorithm. 'Best holiday places for Steve and Tony'. He'll compile a list."

"I can’t think of anything," he shrugged. "Anything you want, I guess."

"That would be nice," Steve nodded. "We could work on visiting them all, maybe after Pete and Wade head off to college."

Wade squinted, thinking. "I don't think I need anything else," he said, thinking of the numerous bags of clothes they had already bought a little guiltily.

"Do you  _want_ anything else?" he tried, smiling. 

"I bet if we ask nicely, the villains will let us take a vacation for a week or two," Steve chuckled.

"You are awfully optimistic, but I'll take your word for it," Tony said and hooked a hand under Steve's arm. He craned his neck. "Are you too quite done?" he asked the teenagers. "I have an algorithm to think up."

Wade ducked his head. "I'm done, thank you. Right?" he said and glanced at Peter.

Steve grinned, placing his hand over Tony’s. "'Course I am. Always am when it comes to you."

Peter shrugged, nodding. "Yeah, I guess. This it or are we going anywhere else?"

"Do I count as a villain now?" Tony asked and grinned up at Steve. He reached out and grabbed Wade's sleeve, tugging gently. "If you're done being indecisive now, lets go home. Don't you kids have homework to do or something? And I could use a snack."

Wade watched Tony warily, pulling his arm back carefully at the unexpected touch.

“Nah, too sweet,” Steve dismissed playfully. He watched the interaction between his new son and his husband, a bit concerned at first, but thankful Wade didn’t recoil as violently as he had been.

Peter bit at his lip nervously, trying to smooth over the situation. “No, we don’t have homework, but I think we’re ready to get out of here."

Wade just nodded in agreement. He was ready to go back home, where there weren't any strangers walking around, occasionally bumping into them or sending their little group interested glances. He didn't feel panicked, he felt pretty okay actually, partly because Peter, Steve and Tony were shielding him quite well from the shopping crowd, intentionally or not, and because he was pretty sure they'd protect him should he need them to. Still, he constantly had his guard up. He lowered his eyes to the floor, feeling bad about not welcoming Tony's casually friendly touch.

Tony bit his lip, cursing himself for forgetting about Wade's fear of contact. He pulled his hand back, tugging it under Steve's elbow again. "Let's get moving," he suggested, turning towards the exit of the mall.

 


End file.
